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contaminated with faeces of infected persons.
“In simple terms, it simply means people are eating their own faeces.”
Addressing a Press conference on typhoid in Harare yesterday, Dr Madzorera said typhoid used to be a rare condition in Zimbabwe but progressive deterioration of public infrastructure like water and sewage reticulation has seen it sprouting.
“This (transmission of typhoid) happens in conditions of poor sanitation and poor supply of clean water. In areas where sanitary facilities are well developed and maintained, there has been virtual elimination of typhoid,” Dr Madzorera told journalists.
He said, initially, an outbreak of typhoid occurred in Mabvuku and Tafara in February 2010 after both suburbs experienced chronic piped water supply shortages. He said because of similar conditions prevailing elsewhere in Harare, this outbreak then spread to several other suburbs until ultimately abated in April of the same year.
“The current outbreak was first reported in mid-October and again in an area where there had been no water supplies for two weeks, forcing residents to resort to unsafe water from shallow wells,” he said.
To prevent the disease from spreading, Dr Madzorera urged people to continue practising hygiene strict hygiene.
Dr Madzorera said typhoid had a potential to spread beyond Harare because the same poor sanitary conditions prevail in other parts of the country.
He said the high mobility of our people also makes it easy for diseases such as typhoid to move with them.
“We strongly urge treatment of all household water by boiling or chlorination with aqua tabs at the point of use. Most boreholes have been noted to be contaminated and reticulated water has also failed the quality tests in some instances,” Dr Madzorera said.
In his message to the people of Zimbabwe, Dr Madzorera urged people to:
l Ensure thorough hand washing with soap and running water before food preparation and eating, after using the toilet, handling soiled diapers, bed linen, etc. and ensure good personal hygiene at all times. Use ash in the absence of soap for thorough hand washing.
l Maintain rigorous standards of cleanliness in food preparation and food handling, especially salads and other cold-served foods. It is advisable during this outbreak situation to eat only freshly cooked hot food.
l Make sure to properly refrigerate food where necessary
l Remember to prepare salt and sugar solution or oral rehydration salts for anyone with diarrhoea and start giving this while seeking health care.
l Manage refuse at personal, family and community levels, while Ministry of Health and Child Welfare collaborates with responsible authorities to come up with lasting solutions to the uncollected garbage heaps.
l Buy food from regulated premises, and if you are a food vendor or food handler, remember to protect your customers by ensuring food safety and that you yourself are free from infectious conditions like typhoid by getting examined.
l As with deaths due to diarrhoeal disease, health workers must be notified immediately.
Online Reporter