First Lady Tours Cholera Facility: State of Emergency Declared After 21 Dead, 2300 Cases
13 SEP, 2018
First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa is briefed by Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo (centre) while Primary and Secondary Education Minister Professor Paul Mavima looks on during a tour at Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases Hospital in Mbare, Harare, yesterday. — (Picture by Innocent Makawa)
Paidamoyo Chipunza
Senior Health Reporter
Zimbabwe Herald
First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa has expressed concern over the death of 21 people from cholera, which is preventable and treatable.
Speaking to journalists after visiting a cholera treatment camp at Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases Hospital in Harare yesterday, the First Lady said it was sad that the spread of the disease was a result of poor hygienic practices.
“Loss of life is not a desirable occurrence, especially when what is causing it is totally preventable and treatable. Most of the issues are coming from us; the way we carry ourselves, the way we behave in terms of handling food and water,” she said.
People, said the First Lady, should always ensure that their homes are clean, the food they eat is well-cooked and their families practise good hygienic standards to curb water and food-borne diseases.
The First Lady said while the authorities had a role to play in providing basic amenities, especially in densely-populated areas such as proper sanitation facilities, clean water and collection of garbage, individuals must play their role.
“I want to encourage people that when they are buying fruits and vegetables, they clean them thoroughly,” she said.
She expressed concern over some settlements, which she said were overcrowded, leading to the further spread of diseases like cholera.
The First Lady said to effectively contain the outbreak, people should work together and coordinate efforts because this was not solely a Government problem.
“I am also saying on this one we have our children in the diaspora. They should also come and help us here in Zimbabwe. This is your country. Come back home and put your hand. You will see there will be good development to your country and the Zimbabwe we want all,” she said.
Speaking at the same occasion, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo commended the First Lady’s gesture to visit the cholera treatment site saying it showed commitment and motherly love.
“We are taking drastic action to ensure that we get rid of the diseases as quickly as possible. So I am so happy when you talk about a clean Zimbabwe. We want to make Zimbabwe clean, so there is no one better than yourself and His Excellency leading us to ensure that all our cities and where we live remains clean,” said Dr Moyo.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Professor Paul Mavima also commended the First Lady’s efforts.
He said the Ministry would ensure that all schools had safe and adequate water supplies and proper sanitation facilities.
“As for now we have not lost any pupil from our schools but there are some parents of children in our schools who have died,” he said.
Cholera declared state of emergency •20 dead, 2 300 cases reported •Health minister blasts council
12 SEP, 2018 - 00:09
Paidamoyo Chipunza
Senior Health Reporter
Government has declared the cholera outbreak in Harare a state of emergency as numbers of people dying or falling sick from the bacterial infection rise. By mid-morning yesterday, 20 people had been confirmed dead from the latest cholera outbreak.
Over 2 300 suspected cases have been recorded in Harare alone.
Isolated cases have also been reported in Masvingo, Manicaland, Midlands and Mashonaland Central provinces, all traced back to Harare as the epicentre.
Addressing journalists after visiting Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases Hospital, one of the treatment camp sites in Harare, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo said declaring the outbreak an emergency allowed the State to quickly mobilise resources to contain the disease, adding that Harare was the source of all cases reported countrywide.
“We are declaring an emergency for Harare. This will enable us to contain cholera and typhoid in the city as quickly as possible. We do not want further deaths, so if we do not create this disaster emergency situation, we will continue losing lives.”
The collection of refuse in Harare has become extinct. Garbage has piled up in the streets of the CBD and various residential areas, presenting citizens of the capital with a potential health hazard.
Dr Moyo took a swipe at Harare City Council which he said had failed to attend to sewer bursts in Glen View for the past two months, resulting in the contamination of boreholes.
“Someone slept on duty and this is one of the problems we must tackle as Zimbabwe. People must work. This whole problem is a result of blocked sewers and these were reported, but were never repaired for at least two months. Now we have the whole of Glen View and Budiriro being affected,” said Dr Moyo.
He said while he would seek audience with Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo on a permanent solution to these recurrent challenges, they had agreed with Harare Mayor Herbert Gomba to immediately clear all sewer blockages.
Dr Moyo said they were also clamping down on illegal food vending with the assistance of the police.
People being sprayed with a disinfectant on arrival at Beatrice Infectious Diseases Hospital.
He said development partners were assisting with provision of water bowsers, medical supplies and other non-food items.
“We have a problem, which has to be solved. We need to improve services so that we stop the number of people dying from cholera. There must not be deaths at all,” he said.
Mayor Gomba, who accompanied the Minister on his tour, pledged to fight the outbreak.
“We are working on responsibilities that fall within our mandate but there are also other responsibilities that lie outside our mandate, which Government should also chip in to assist” said Cllr Gomba.
“For instance, for us to collect garbage, we need refuse trucks but we are failing to get foreign currency from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to get our refuse trucks, which have been in South Africa for the past 10 months,” said Mayor Gomba.
He said Government must also prioritise construction of Kunzvi and Musami dams to complement available sources of water for Harare and neighbouring towns.
Asked why the outbreak was spreading so fast both in Harare and across the country, public health specialist Dr Prosper Chonzi said there was a slow response by health officials to the first reported cases.
Some of the patients being attended to by Helth personel at the Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases Hospital after the cholera outbreak .-Picture by Shelton Muchena
“The reason why it is spreading so fast is that they delayed in picking it up. Cases were picked up when people had already died and funerals held without supervision,” saaid Dr Chonzi.
“Mourners conducted the same rituals that we practice as Africans such as shaking hands, washing the body of the deceased and so forth and they went back to their homes. Again no follow-ups were done, resulting in the bacteria spreading,” said Dr Chonzi.
He said cases were picked up when people had already died.
Dr Chonzi at Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases Hospital
Dr Chonzi said there was also a possibility that all ground water in Glen View area, where sewerage has been flowing for the past two months, was contaminated with faecal matter and therefore unsafe for drinking.
“We need to appreciate the mode of transmission of cholera. It is faecal orally transmitted, which means faecal matter would have found its way into the oral cavity of a human being,” he said.
“The natural habitat of cholera and typhoid is sewer. So if sewer finds its way into food or water, people will definitely get the disease,” said Dr Chonzi.
“Right now, I think underground water in Glen View and Budiriro is totally contaminated with salmonella and vibrio (bacteria that causes cholera). So people drawing water from boreholes or shallow wells are drinking water that is already contaminated and will definitely get the disease,” he said.
First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa is briefed by Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo (centre) while Primary and Secondary Education Minister Professor Paul Mavima looks on during a tour at Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases Hospital in Mbare, Harare, yesterday. — (Picture by Innocent Makawa)
Paidamoyo Chipunza
Senior Health Reporter
Zimbabwe Herald
First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa has expressed concern over the death of 21 people from cholera, which is preventable and treatable.
Speaking to journalists after visiting a cholera treatment camp at Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases Hospital in Harare yesterday, the First Lady said it was sad that the spread of the disease was a result of poor hygienic practices.
“Loss of life is not a desirable occurrence, especially when what is causing it is totally preventable and treatable. Most of the issues are coming from us; the way we carry ourselves, the way we behave in terms of handling food and water,” she said.
People, said the First Lady, should always ensure that their homes are clean, the food they eat is well-cooked and their families practise good hygienic standards to curb water and food-borne diseases.
The First Lady said while the authorities had a role to play in providing basic amenities, especially in densely-populated areas such as proper sanitation facilities, clean water and collection of garbage, individuals must play their role.
“I want to encourage people that when they are buying fruits and vegetables, they clean them thoroughly,” she said.
She expressed concern over some settlements, which she said were overcrowded, leading to the further spread of diseases like cholera.
The First Lady said to effectively contain the outbreak, people should work together and coordinate efforts because this was not solely a Government problem.
“I am also saying on this one we have our children in the diaspora. They should also come and help us here in Zimbabwe. This is your country. Come back home and put your hand. You will see there will be good development to your country and the Zimbabwe we want all,” she said.
Speaking at the same occasion, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo commended the First Lady’s gesture to visit the cholera treatment site saying it showed commitment and motherly love.
“We are taking drastic action to ensure that we get rid of the diseases as quickly as possible. So I am so happy when you talk about a clean Zimbabwe. We want to make Zimbabwe clean, so there is no one better than yourself and His Excellency leading us to ensure that all our cities and where we live remains clean,” said Dr Moyo.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Professor Paul Mavima also commended the First Lady’s efforts.
He said the Ministry would ensure that all schools had safe and adequate water supplies and proper sanitation facilities.
“As for now we have not lost any pupil from our schools but there are some parents of children in our schools who have died,” he said.
Cholera declared state of emergency •20 dead, 2 300 cases reported •Health minister blasts council
12 SEP, 2018 - 00:09
Paidamoyo Chipunza
Senior Health Reporter
Government has declared the cholera outbreak in Harare a state of emergency as numbers of people dying or falling sick from the bacterial infection rise. By mid-morning yesterday, 20 people had been confirmed dead from the latest cholera outbreak.
Over 2 300 suspected cases have been recorded in Harare alone.
Isolated cases have also been reported in Masvingo, Manicaland, Midlands and Mashonaland Central provinces, all traced back to Harare as the epicentre.
Addressing journalists after visiting Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases Hospital, one of the treatment camp sites in Harare, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo said declaring the outbreak an emergency allowed the State to quickly mobilise resources to contain the disease, adding that Harare was the source of all cases reported countrywide.
“We are declaring an emergency for Harare. This will enable us to contain cholera and typhoid in the city as quickly as possible. We do not want further deaths, so if we do not create this disaster emergency situation, we will continue losing lives.”
The collection of refuse in Harare has become extinct. Garbage has piled up in the streets of the CBD and various residential areas, presenting citizens of the capital with a potential health hazard.
Dr Moyo took a swipe at Harare City Council which he said had failed to attend to sewer bursts in Glen View for the past two months, resulting in the contamination of boreholes.
“Someone slept on duty and this is one of the problems we must tackle as Zimbabwe. People must work. This whole problem is a result of blocked sewers and these were reported, but were never repaired for at least two months. Now we have the whole of Glen View and Budiriro being affected,” said Dr Moyo.
He said while he would seek audience with Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo on a permanent solution to these recurrent challenges, they had agreed with Harare Mayor Herbert Gomba to immediately clear all sewer blockages.
Dr Moyo said they were also clamping down on illegal food vending with the assistance of the police.
People being sprayed with a disinfectant on arrival at Beatrice Infectious Diseases Hospital.
He said development partners were assisting with provision of water bowsers, medical supplies and other non-food items.
“We have a problem, which has to be solved. We need to improve services so that we stop the number of people dying from cholera. There must not be deaths at all,” he said.
Mayor Gomba, who accompanied the Minister on his tour, pledged to fight the outbreak.
“We are working on responsibilities that fall within our mandate but there are also other responsibilities that lie outside our mandate, which Government should also chip in to assist” said Cllr Gomba.
“For instance, for us to collect garbage, we need refuse trucks but we are failing to get foreign currency from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to get our refuse trucks, which have been in South Africa for the past 10 months,” said Mayor Gomba.
He said Government must also prioritise construction of Kunzvi and Musami dams to complement available sources of water for Harare and neighbouring towns.
Asked why the outbreak was spreading so fast both in Harare and across the country, public health specialist Dr Prosper Chonzi said there was a slow response by health officials to the first reported cases.
Some of the patients being attended to by Helth personel at the Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases Hospital after the cholera outbreak .-Picture by Shelton Muchena
“The reason why it is spreading so fast is that they delayed in picking it up. Cases were picked up when people had already died and funerals held without supervision,” saaid Dr Chonzi.
“Mourners conducted the same rituals that we practice as Africans such as shaking hands, washing the body of the deceased and so forth and they went back to their homes. Again no follow-ups were done, resulting in the bacteria spreading,” said Dr Chonzi.
He said cases were picked up when people had already died.
Dr Chonzi at Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases Hospital
Dr Chonzi said there was also a possibility that all ground water in Glen View area, where sewerage has been flowing for the past two months, was contaminated with faecal matter and therefore unsafe for drinking.
“We need to appreciate the mode of transmission of cholera. It is faecal orally transmitted, which means faecal matter would have found its way into the oral cavity of a human being,” he said.
“The natural habitat of cholera and typhoid is sewer. So if sewer finds its way into food or water, people will definitely get the disease,” said Dr Chonzi.
“Right now, I think underground water in Glen View and Budiriro is totally contaminated with salmonella and vibrio (bacteria that causes cholera). So people drawing water from boreholes or shallow wells are drinking water that is already contaminated and will definitely get the disease,” he said.
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