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The time of plenty is still with us! We celebrated Christmas Day on Monday and the festivities will continue until the New Year.

Not only has food and drink been in abundance, everyone has let their guard down. 

On Christmas Day, the shops in almost all suburbs and villages were a hive of activity. Some were milling around buying alcohol from the nearby bottle stores. Once the one in hand finished they went back in and purchased another.

Of course the drinks had to go with the meat that was being grilled at the nearby stalls. The sadza and salads were on standby for the revellers to enjoy. 

While the adults were enjoying the braai, the children and those adults who could not afford were treated to a serving of fresh chips and a small Russian sausage for just $1. Other cheaper dishes were on offer and it seems many forgot that feasts had been prepared for them at home. 

They were partaking of these prepared foods like there was no tomorrow. But what was worrying is that many areas in Harare had no council water since the previous week. So those who were selling food had no fresh water to use. One could only imagine the source of their water.

And with the cholera outbreak currently raging, it seemed everyone thought they would be spared just because it was Christmas! All we can hope for is that the statistics will not reveal our folly of thinking cholera is a thing of the past.

But the outbreak has not subsided yet. On Christmas Day, 146 new suspected cholera cases were reported with three suspected deaths.

As has been the case in the past weeks, Harare Province had the bulk of the cases with Chitungwiza reporting 26 cases, Kuwadzana reporting 23, Beatrice Road Infectious Disease Hospital (BRIDH) reporting 22, Glen View (19) and Budiriro (19).

To date 13 176 suspected cholera cases and 221 suspected deaths have been reported in 55 districts across the country. A total of 163 cases are hospitalised in various health centres in all the provinces. Although cases have been declining in some hotspot areas, there has been concern that the rainy season might contribute to a spike in cholera cases.

That coupled with the risky behaviours seen on Christmas Day, which will continue into the new year.

And the water supply situation might not help matters.

Most households are currently getting water from boreholes and wells owing to the erratic supply of municipal water. But it has been confirmed that Harare’s underground water sources are contaminated hence this could spell more problems in the present outbreak and in the future.

It therefore remains important to continuously relay the importance of being vigilant where cholera is concerned. For those that are not aware: Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection characterised, in its severe form, by extreme watery diarrhoea and potentially fatal dehydration. It is caused by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. 

The disease is an easily treatable disease. The majority of people can be treated successfully through prompt administration of oral rehydration solution (ORS). Severely dehydrated patients are at risk of shock and require the rapid administration of intravenous fluids. These patients are also given appropriate antibiotics to diminish the duration of the diarrhoea, reduce the volume of rehydration fluids needed, and shorten the amount and duration of V. cholerae excretion in their stool.

Awareness raising within the communities is more important than ever to ensure that this current outbreak does not reach the levels of the 2008 epidemic.

Zimbabwe recorded the worst cholera outbreak in 2008, which affected 98 596 people and claimed more than 4000 lives, making it the largest and deadliest outbreak in the history of the country.

A subsequent outbreak was reported in 2018 and this one affected 10 421 people while killing about 69 people.

This means the current outbreak has surpassed the 2018 one and if left unchecked, could continue growing.

But it takes a community willing to learn to break the cycle of cholera.

And the message has been clear from the beginning: personal hygiene is of utmost importance and eating well prepared food and drinking clean water is key. 

In a statement on Sunday, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora urged Zimbabweans to be vigilant during the festive season.

“Avoid cholera as you feast this festive season. Do not eat from undesignated food selling points, wash your hands with soap or ash under running water before eating or after using the toilet and if you suspect cholera, immediately report to the nearest health facility,” he said.

But it is unfortunate that people continue to participate in risky behaviours that expose them to cholera and other diseases.

One can only hope that they will heed to the numerous calls to be vigilant. Because prevention remains better than cure.

This is why the Government has put in place stand by teams to respond to disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies during this festive season.

“We would like to encourage all citizens to adhere to the preventive measures and to report any suspected cases to the national hotlines *2019* or reach out to Emergency and response teams on mobile number 0772810580. 

“The Ministry of Health and Child Care will have a team of national and provincial rapid response teams on standby during this Christmas and new year Holidays to respond to Disease Outbreaks and other events of Public Health Emergency,” said Minister Mombeshora.

To beat the outbreak, WHO recommends improving access to proper and timely case management of cholera cases, improving access to safe drinking water and sanitation infrastructure, as well as improving infection prevention and control in healthcare facilities. These measures along with the promotion of preventive hygiene practices and food safety in affected communities are the most effective means of controlling cholera. 

“Effective risk communication and community engagement strategies are needed to encourage behavioural change and adoption of appropriate preventive measures. 

The OCV should be used in conjunction with improvements in water and sanitation to control cholera outbreaks and for prevention in targeted areas known to be at high risk for cholera,” says the WHO. While the Government is putting in place measures to end cholera, we should in our communities be also playing our part.

We cannot push the blame on one party because it takes a collective effort to beat this primitive disease. If each one of us worries about our personal hygiene, and makes sure our personal spaces are clean, then we can begin the process of eliminating cholera.

Let us put our health first this festive season and in the future.