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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Health Reporter
ALTHOUGH Zimbabwe continues to report significant new cholera cases, with a total of 127 suspected new cases and four suspected deaths reported yesterday, the recovery rate remains high at 97 percent.
As has been the case over the past weeks, Harare reported the highest number of new cases with 22 recorded in Glen View, 18 in Kuwadzana, two in Budiriro and 12 cases reported at Beatrice Road Infectious Disease Hospital, according to the Ministry of Health and Child Care daily situation report.
Other cases were reported in Buhera (20), Mutare (17), Chitungwiza City (7), Mberengwa (5), Rutsanana (5), Gutu (5), Chiredzi (3), Zaka (2), Zvishavane (2), Chivi (1), Chirumahanzu (1), Mutasa (1), Mutare City (1), Western Triangle (1), Chimanimani (1) and Beitbridge (1).
Zimbabwe has been reporting cholera cases since February this year and 54 districts across all the country’s 10 provinces have reported cholera cases.
As of Tuesday, a total of 123 cases were hospitalised, with 30 at Beatrice Road, 20 in districts in Masvingo province and 65 in Manicaland province.
Chitungwiza had two cases in care while Midlands province reported five hospitalised cases and one was reported in Matabeleland South province.
Since the latest outbreak, the Government has implemented a raft of measures including the drilling of boreholes to provide communities with clean drinking water as well as supervision of gatherings and engaging traditional and religious leaders on public health measures to control the outbreak.
As of yesterday, Zimbabwe had recorded 12 414 suspected cholera cases in this latest outbreak of which 1 533 were laboratory confirmed, with 217 deaths suspected to be from cholera but 62 confirmed as being from cholera.
This brought the case fatality rate to 2,3 percent. According to the World Health Organisation, fatalities should typically remain below 1 percent when people with cholera receive early quality care.
Risk factors for the spread of cholera include poor water supply, poor sanitation, poor waste management, consuming contaminated water and food, open defection and poor hand hygiene.
Speaking at a media briefing by the Infection Control Association of Zimbabwe Trust (ICAZ-T) on Tuesday, national IPC trainer Mr Fortunate Mugabe emphasised the need for a multi-sector approach to dealing with the cholera outbreak and eliminating the disease.
He said the Government, through the Ministry of Health and Child Care had already come up with a multi-stakeholder committee which was handling the response to the outbreak.
“The Ministry of Health took a multi sectoral approach with partners through pillars that include the coordination and legislation pillar, the public health emergency preparedness and response, case management, and infection prevention and control pillar, the risk communication and community engagement pillar, surveillance and laboratory systems, water sanitation and hygiene, and oral cholera vaccination and logistics and supplies pillars,” he said.
“If we work together as a team we will be able to fight not only the cholera outbreak but all other outbreaks. When we had Covid-19, this same multi-lateral approach helped in lowering the cases of Covid-19.”
Online Reporter