MATABELELAND South Province has recorded the highest number of cholera cases in Zimbabwe since the outbreak of the disease which has so far claimed nine lives in the country.
Statistics from the Ministry of Health and Child Care show that out of 543 cases recorded in the country so far, Matabeleland South province accounts for 188 cases and two deaths.
Beitbridge, by virtue of its geographical location as a border town, is the worst affected district.
Manicaland has 138 cases while Mashonaland West and Mashonaland Central provinces have recorded 82 and 68 cases respectively.
Mashonaland Central Province accounts for five of the nine cholera deaths recorded so far while Harare has the least number of cases with just two cases.
Bulawayo has recorded four cases while Mashonaland East has six cases. Masvingo province has recorded 26 cases and two deaths.
According to the ministry, the 17 cholera hotspot districts in the country are Buhera, Chegutu, Chikomba, Chimanimani, Chipinge, Chitungwiza, Chiredzi, Harare, Gokwe North, Marondera, Mazowe, Shamva, Mutare, Murehwa, Mwenezi, Seke and Wedza.
The first cholera outbreak in the country started on February 12, 2023, in Chegutu Town, Mashonaland West Province. To date cases have been reported in eight provinces excluding Matabeleland North and Midlands.
“As of Sunday, a cumulative total of 457 suspected cholera cases, two laboratory-confirmed deaths, seven suspected cholera deaths and 89 laboratory-confirmed cases were reported.”
The ministerial report also shows that there are Beitbridge accounts for 40 percent of hospitalised cases in Zimbabwe.
In a public notice last week, Beitbridge Municipality said: “In light of the cholera outbreak in Beitbridge, especially in the SDP area (Kwalu 2), all owners or operators of water vending trucks are called upon to come forward and register with the council on their operations. This has been necessitated by suspected unsafe water supplies being sold to members of the public.”
Beitbridge Municipality said the new measure, which is effective from today, will help its environmental health officers to monitor the quality of water for the safety of residents.
Acting district medical officer, Dr Tafadzwa Nyeve said that they were treating every diarrhoea-related case as cholera until it is medically proven otherwise.
He said they have alerted all the medical staff from the over 16 primary health care facilities in the district to be on high alert.
“We are also doing surveillance through the Environment Health Department and testing water samples regularly. In addition, we have since established a cholera treatment camp within the hospital to handle all the cholera-related cases and we are grateful for the support we are getting from local stakeholders,” said Dr Nyeve.
The setting up of the camp was strategically done to avoid contaminating the hospital and other services offered to members of the public.
One of the residents Mr Liberty Siyoka attributed the increase in cholera cases to a huge influx of travellers passing through Beitbridge Border Post.
Considering the high risk of diarrheal diseases, especially cholera and typhoid, during the rainy season, the Government is accelerating the surveillance and response mechanisms in all provinces.
Government is also instituting processes for the refurbishing and upgrading of sewer and reticulation systems and provision of clean water.
At least five countries in southern Africa have been hit by cholera outbreaks. Besides Zimbabwe cases have been recorded in Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa and Malawi.
Malawi has been the hardest hit, recording more than 50 000 cases and 1 600 deaths in the 12 months since March last year. – The Chronicle
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