Gweru launches blitz on vendors

Munyaradzi Musiiwa Midlands Correspondent
Gweru City Council has launched a blitz on food vendors and backyard kitchens as part of its interventions to try and arrest the spread of typhoid and a possible cholera outbreak.

Gweru City Council director health services Mr Sam Sekenhamo said the local authority had descended on backyard kitchens and food vendors in the city.

These cases were rampant at Midlands State University (MSU) main campus, Senga and Nehosho high density suburbs where food vendors and backyard kitchens target students staying on and off campus.

Mr Sekenhamo said Gweru City council had also cleared vendors off the streets to ensure that it curbs the spreading of the water-borne disease which emanated from cross-contamination of clean water and sewer.

“What we have done is to curb illegal food vending. The municipal police and the Zimbabwe republic Police (ZRP) have been visiting those areas where illegal cooking has been taking place and they have managed to contain them.

“We are doing door to door campaigns in houses emphasising on personal hygiene particularly hand washing as well as environmental hygiene. We also distributed non-food items. We have also done quite a number of trainings for MSU and other. These are some of the things that we have done in response to typhoid,” he said.

The number of typhoid cases received on a daily basis has dropped to below 10 from more than 200 recorded at the time of the outbreak.

Mr Sekenhamo said Gweru City Council was on high cholera alert and has since set up a cholera treatment camp at Isolation Hospital in Ascot high density suburb.

“We have a cholera treatment camp in Gweru at Isolation Hospital.

This is just a precautionary measure in case there is an outbreak. Gweru is at a high because it is along the highway and a lot of people travel to Harare and back on a daily basis. So we are just being proactive,” he said.

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