AT least two more cases of cholera have been reported in Chiredzi bringing to 15 the number of confirmed cases so far, a Harare City Council official has said.
BY FELUNA NLEYA
Director of Harare city health Prosper Chonzi said no cases of cholera had been confirmed in Harare as authorities continue to be on high alert for a possible major outbreak of the disease.
“There are only two more cases that were confirmed in Chiredzi a couple of days ago.
“The cases are in the same area where the other cases were reported, but that doesn’t mean we should relax. We should be more vigilant,” Chonzi said.
“We are now insisting on early case detection, early management and managing it properly and increasing on health promotion so that everyone knows how to identify it.”
He said diarrhoea cases were gradually decreasing in Harare. “The cases of diarrhoea have been going down and this is because there are no rains and the water situation in Harare is gradually improving due to the upgrade of Motton Jaffray.
“Some areas which never used to receive water now have it,” Chonzi said.
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“But this does not mean we have to relax, we just have to be on the lookout to avoid any outbreaks.”
Earlier this month government confirmed 12 cholera cases in Mutoko area.
Health and Child Care minister David Parirenyatwa was concerned that government could fail to control an outbreak in congested cities such as Harare where there are chronic water shortages.
The country has been on high alert since the reportage of cholera cases in Mozambique.
Meanwhile, at least 125 people have succumbed to malaria since the beginning of the year with over 62 000 cases having reported.
Health and Child Care ministry’s malaria programme manager Joseph Mberikunashe yesterday said the disease was now at its peak although cases reported this year by week 10 were lower than those recorded last year.
He said mosquitos had become resistant to previously used insecticides.
Mberikunashe said mosquito nets have been distributed to 47 districts up from the previous 30.
“A lot of our people now cross the borders and we appeal to them to carry repellents when they travel to ensure that they do not get bitten by the mosquitos,” he said.
“We also see these statistics from the clinics near the borders where we have people suffering from malaria.”
Over 600 people last year succumbed to malaria, a disease caused by female mosquitoes whose symptoms are fever, fatigue, vomiting and headache.
In other extreme cases, malaria can cause yellow skin, seizures and coma that results in death.
