CHIREDZI has started mobilising resources from various stakeholders after the district recorded one case of cholera, the district medical officer Brian Dhlandhlara has said.
BY GARIKAI MAFIRAKUREVA
Some of the stakeholders targeted in the drive are Population Services International, Plan International, Kapnek and Solidarmed.
Dhlandhlara said one person from village 11B Monyoroka in Triangle had tested positive for cholera and is currently admitted in a quarantined ward at Chiredzi Hospital, and is in a stable condition.
“We sent an investigation team to visit the family and test their water sources as well as all those who were in contact with the patient because the source of the disease is not yet clear. They were using a borehole and an open tank,” he said.
“At the moment, we have adequate drugs, but if the numbers increase, we will definitely get assistance from the province, the head office and our partners. We have already alerted them.
“They are aware and they are already mobilising resources. We are also reactivating the district’s rapid response team and we are already doing community awareness programmes in preventive measures,” he said.
Meanwhile, A2 sugarcane farmers and various other farmers who are not into sugarcane production in Hippo Valley farms and Mkwasine Estates, as well as other farmers around Chiredzi, are still using bush toilets, 18 years after the chaotic fast track land reform exercise.
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According to the November 2018, health and housing report compiled by Chiredzi housing and community services director Emily Paradzai, the outbreak is attributable to illegal settlements and increased vandalism of water reticulation systems.
Mkwasine compounds do not have running water and proper toilet facilities, while farms 46 and 52 in Hippo Valley are said to have no toilets though water is available, leading farmers and their workers to resort to bush latrines.
The facilities at both Hippo Valley farms and Mkwanise Estates are said to be in a deplorable state and people consume water from canals, making them susceptible to waterborne diseases such as typhoid and cholera.
Chiredzi Town Council has since recommended the closure of all compounds with no running water and toilets.
It was also resolved that council engages sugarcane farming associations on the issue. In cases where there is no running water, the council is planning to engage Tongaat Hulett so that it supplies water in those areas by bowsers.
