Chronicle Editor
Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, [email protected]
IT’S almost a year now (342 days) since the first cholera case was recorded in Zimbabwe and more than 400 people are said to have succumbed to the water-borne disease.
Latest official statistics released this week suggest 19 090 suspected Cholera cases, 2 231 confirmed cases, 18 340 recoveries, 71 confirmed deaths and 340 suspected deaths have been recorded in all the 10 provinces of Zimbabwe.
Surprisingly Bulawayo, which is facing water woes with residents enduring a 120-hour water shedding programme, has the least cases and deaths.
During the past year, only 14 suspected cases, four confirmed, 11 recoveries, zero deaths and two admissions have been recorded in Bulawayo.
In an interview, City of Bulawayo director of health services Dr Edwin Mzingwane said despite being the cleanest city in Zimbabwe, which recorded highest cholera cases in 2008, there are five things that the city got right, which should be commended and emulated.
He said Bulawayo remains on high alert for the deadly disease and everything is set at the Thorngrove Infectious Disease Hospital in case anyone develops cholera.
Shaking of hands at funerals
On top of the list, Dr Mzingwane said Bulawayo residents subscribe to a culture that does not encourage the shaking of hands.
“Here in Bulawayo when our loved ones are bereaved, we support them ngokuhlanganisa amehlo, unlike our brothers from other places who bata mawoko (handshaking). That on its own is a game-changer because we know that funerals are a cholera super spreader, which means that even if we conduct these gatherings we are unlikely to shake hands because in our culture we convey condolence messages without handshakes,” said Dr Mzingwane.
“This means we are unlikely to spread cholera because we gather yes, but we will comfort the bereaved without handshakes, and it’s working. Residents should avoid handshakes at all costs and of course, we discourage gatherings during this time as we note that cholera is wreaking havoc in our other provinces.”
Dry climate conditions
According to Dr Mzingwane, Bulawayo belongs to a very dry region, which means the water table is low and chances of easily getting water from wells and other sources are close to none.
He said that on its own is a blessing in disguise compared to other areas where residents can easily access water if local authority supplies are cut.
“It’s unfortunate but a blessing because we don’t just have many water sources sprouting from a corner without control. This means our residents only rely on the water that we provide because even if they can dig wells, it is expensive and difficult to easily find water,” said Dr Mzingwane.
“This keeps us somewhat safe from cholera because we don’t have resident’s drinking water from untreated sources. We do have boreholes dotted around the city for communal and private use but they are not as many as in other provinces.
“These additional water sources can be easily contaminated and from our end, we are struggling but we do try to supply our residents with clean water whose quality is treated frequently to avert any disease outbreak.”
Cleanliness and zero tolerance to open defecation
Bulawayo is arguably the cleanest city in Zimbabwe although standards are dwindling. Open defecation cannot be mentioned in a sentence with Bulawayo as that practice is foreign to residents who take pride in ubuntu.
Littering is highly prohibited although recently litterbugs have been slowly making their way into Bulawayo, the local authority is working flat out to manage waste.
“Residents should be applauded for high levels of hygiene and we are happy that they are washing hands frequently as encouraged. We endeavour to keep our streets and homes clean as a means of averting diseases like cholera and our cases remain lowest in the whole country because residents are generally clean.
“We continue encouraging them to wash hands, wash their food and avoid eating from unregistered places as they risk contracting cholera and other diseases,” said Dr Mzingwane.
He said there are also high levels of sanitation in Bulawayo and areas with challenges like Cowdray Park have Blair toilets at least.
Positive public attitude amid water woes
While admitting that the city’s water woes are a big risk to choler, he was quick to applaud residents for coping with the limited water supplies, which has contributed to the province having only three confirmed cases since the outbreak.
“The water challenge persists but we are happy because despite the 120-hour shedding, residents have mastered the art of conserving and using water in a way that does not expose anyone to cholera.
“We continue drinking clean water, flushing our toilets and just managing. This is commendable and we hope better days are coming so that we reduce the risk as people are likely to go for other untreated water sources when in need,” he said.
Rapid response and readiness
Dr Mzingwane said the fifth thing that Bulawayo got right was its effective rapid response strategy to combat the spread of cholera in the city.
“We remain on high alert, the fact that last year we recorded one confirmed cholera case means we cannot let our guard down. We are on alert mode, meaning that we investigate all rumours of diarrhoea we hear from our health facilities or community health workers.
“We are advocating for clean water to reach as many as possible and have a cholera treatment camp at Thorngrove Hospital ready to treat any patients who contract the disease.”
Online Reporter