Major cities battle diarrhoeal diseases amid deaths

News
By Brenna Matendere and Nizbert Moyo Harare has recorded 10 typhoid deaths since the beginning of the year while Bulawayo remains in the grip of a diarrhoea outbreak at a time the country is battling to contain the spread of Covid-19, it has been revealed.

By Brenna Matendere and Nizbert Moyo

Harare has recorded 10 typhoid deaths since the beginning of the year while Bulawayo remains in the grip of a diarrhoea outbreak at a time the country is battling to contain the spread of Covid-19, it has been revealed.

A report released on Friday by the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) says the Harare deaths were from 695 cases recorded since the beginning of the year.

On the other hand, the report reveals that cases of diarrhoea in Bulawayo have now reached 1 800 with 13 deaths recorded.

“A diarrhoea outbreak continued in Bulawayo City with over 1 800 cases and 13 deaths, along with a typhoid outbreak in Harare with 695 cases and 10 deaths,” reads the Ocha report.

Edwin Sibanda, the Bulawayo City Council director of health, yesterday said cases mainly recorded in the Luveve high-density suburb were now under control.

“Actually by yesterday the cases had reached 1 960 while deaths are 13,” Sibanda said.

“But the situation is under control now because from a peak of about 600 cases in one day, we now have about 10 in a week.

“So we can say the situation is now under control,” he said.

Prosper Chonzi, the Harare City Council director of health, downplayed the seriousness of the typhoid outbreak.

“We are on high alert for the typhoid outbreak, but so far we are yet to record the first confirmed case,” Chonzi said.

“We had some reports of people showing symptoms of typhoid in Sunningdale recently, but no confirmed case yet has been recorded.”

Chonzi pointed out that the city’s health department teams had since been deployed on the ground to monitor the situation.

“Our surveillance teams are on the ground and we have upped educational awareness campaigns on good hygiene among residents,” he said.

“We are worried that if we have an outbreak of typhoid at this moment when we are battling Covid-19, our health facilities and personnel will be overwhelmed.

“So our strategy is to make sure that we try by all means to suppress the typhoid outbreak.”

Meanwhile, several Luveve residents say they are still to fully recover over two months after they fell sick because of what they suspect to be contaminated water.

The disgruntled residents said their lives were still in danger as they were still fragile after suffering from diarrhoeal diseases.

“We still fear for our lives after being supplied with expired drugs. It is now over two months, but we have not fully recovered,” said an elderly resident, who identified herself as MaSibanda.

The woman said she was suffering from stomach pains.

Luveve Member of Parliament, Stella Ndlovu said they had since engaged the local authority about residents that were taking long to recover from the illness and were still waiting for a response.

Ndlovu said she had so far donated 270 bags of mealie-meal through assistance from United Kingdom-based youths from the same suburb.

She said a garden project would also be availed for the same community through donations from the diasporans.

Ndlovu is working with the Luveve water crisis team to reach out to all corners of the constituency and claimed to have successful ensured the cancellation of clinic and hospital bills incurred by affected residents after securing the assistance of resident minister Judith Ncube.

She expressed concern that the number of cases continued to rise adding that as of last week 17 more cases were recorded at the local clinic.

Ndlovu feared the death toll might be higher than what was reported by the city council. Residents blame their prolonged illnesses on expired drugs that were allegedly dispensed by the local authority.

Sibanda, the city’s health director, said they were still investigating the alleged distribution of expired drugs.

“It was a three-day course, which was supposed to be finished after three days before end of June,” said Sibanda, adding that it was within acceptable limits.

He said cases had gone down, adding that it was not possible to have zero infection figures throughout the year.