Government yesterday sent two water samples from the girls’ only Catholic-run St Dominic’s High School in Chishawasha to the State medical laboratory for testing following a suspected cholera outbreak that resulted in parents withdrawing their children on Wednesday.
Report by Staff Reporters Health and Child Welfare director for epidemiology and disease control Portia Manangazira confirmed the development and said investigations were still progressing to establish the causes of the suspected diarrhoeal outbreak. The school was forced to close this week after the outbreak affected over half of the school population.
“We indeed confirm that there’s been an outbreak at Chishawasha. We know that parents have been requested to take their children from the school.
Authorities at the school have sent statements to the government analysts’ lab and they have confirmed receiving water samples to be analysed, so I would say that investigations are still underway,” Manangazira said.
“Government health analysts have received the water samples from the school and they have not yet processed them to give out the results.”
Manangazira said she had met the Provincial Medical Director for Mashonaland East to deal with the matter and was still waiting for an update on the situation. “We are waiting to hear from Mashonaland East province because when there is an outbreak like this one, you look at so many things besides water,” she said. Over 4 000 people died between 2008 and 2009 following a cholera outbreak in most parts of the country.
