City of Gweru records six cholera cases, all recovered and discharged, says Mayor

Midlands Bureau Chief

THE City of Gweru has recorded six cholera cases with all of them being confirmed using the rapid diagnostic tests method, Mayor Councillor Martin Chivhoko has said.

In his State of the City address on Thursday, Cllr Chivhoko said all the six cases have recovered and have been discharged from hospital.

“To note, is that 90 percent of the cases are imported cases from Lower Gweru (three), one was from Buhera South and the other one from Shurugwi. Only one case was from the Gweru-Claremont area with no travel history,” he said.

Cllr Mkombe said the health department is on high alert with a strengthened disease surveillance system for any possible cholera case occurrence within the city.

All the contacts of the cases, he said, have been followed up and all the necessary investigations conducted with none of them presenting with signs and symptoms related to cholera.

“All the stool specimens collected and analysed came out negative of Vibrio Cholerae. We have been handling patients in the management of the cholera and typhoid outbreaks, at our Infectious Diseases Hospital. Apart from the IDH, within the city health clinics, the oral rehydration points have been set up to manage cases at the lower levels with those requiring escalated care being referred to IDH,” said Cllr Chivhoko.