HEALTH minister David Parirenyatwa yesterday ordered that funerals be supervised by health workers in the wake of the recent cholera outbreak, which has claimed four lives in Chegutu.
BY VENERANDA LANGA
In a ministerial statement issued in the National Assembly, Parirenyatwa said there are 65 suspected cases of cholera. He said the first case was recorded on January 8, when an 80-year-old woman succumbed to cholera. Three men tasked to perform the funeral rites as per custom ended up contracting the disease.
“We urge that measures be taken to inform the ministry of Health of funerals and, particularly more so that they are supervised and education given to people at funerals — and, in other words, there must be sufficient water and sanitary facilities and funerals must be supervised by health workers,” he said, adding drinking water was contaminated by effluent.
“That is happening in Chegutu and other cities including Harare, where the old water infrastructure cannot cope resulting in an influx of people depending on old infrastructure (sic).
