Bulawayo recorded six maternal deaths, 60 dog-bite cases and a sharp rise in acute malnutrition during June, forcing health authorities to call for intensified disease surveillance and faster emergency response mechanisms across the city.
According to the latest Bulawayo City Council disease surveillance report presented by director of health services Edwin Sibanda, the city registered 41 acute malnutrition cases in June, up from 36 in May with half classified as severe wasting.
“Of the 41 cases, 20 (50%) were severe wasting, 15 (35%) were marasmic kwashiorkor and six (155) had bilateral oedema,” the report read.
The report also documented 60 dog-bite cases, a jump from 53 the previous month, though no rabies deaths were reported.
Worryingly, only 12 of the dogs involved were confirmed vaccinated, while 18 were unvaccinated and the status of 30 remained unknown.
Health authorities said the figures underscored the urgent need to strengthen rabies prevention and promote responsible pet ownership.
Malaria cases declined sharply, with nine positive cases and no deaths recorded in June, compared to 21 cases and three deaths in May.
However, diarrhoeal diseases remained a concern, with 193 cases and two deaths, nearly unchanged from May’s 195 cases.
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“Three dysentery cases were also reported after no cases were recorded in May, while 95 influenza cases were recorded during the month. No suspected measles cases were reported,” the report added.
The city remains on high alert for a range of infectious threats, including Ebola, cholera, Marburg virus, Mpox, polio, typhoid, Covid-19 and other emerging diseases.
Health authorities are pushing for early detection and containment within 24 hours, with outbreaks to be controlled within 14 days.
They also recommended identifying priority areas for targeted interventions, maintaining heightened surveillance and ensuring all suspected infectious cases are followed up.
In June, officials attended three coordination meetings and supported the polio supplementary immunisation campaign.
The report stressed that Bulawayo must stay prepared given the movement of infectious diseases across the region and the emergence of new public health threats.
The findings were subsequently received and noted by the council.
