Online Reporter
Mthokozisi Ncube
A NASTY flu-like illness is sweeping through Zimbabwe, leaving people battling symptoms they say are far worse than the ordinary winter flu.
The illness has sparked fresh Covid-19 fears after five people died at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo after presenting with flu-like symptoms.
According to our sister paper the Sunday News, more than 1 000 patients have been treated for the illness at Mpilo since May, with doctors ruling out fears that it is linked to a new strain of Covid-19.
But for many patients, the big question remains: is it really just flu?
Busani Moyo, who recently battled the illness said it hit much harder than the flu they were used to.
“It started with a terrible headache, body pains and chills. I felt completely drained and weak, and then the coughing started,” Moyo said.
“What scared me was how quickly everything became intense. I have had flu before, but this felt different. The weakness was frightening and I struggled to do normal things.”
He said the symptoms lingered and left him worried about whether he was dealing with something more serious.
The concerns come against a background of memories of the Covid-19 pandemic, when what initially appeared to be ordinary respiratory illness could quickly become life-threatening.
At Mpilo, doctors have reportedly been seeing patients with community-acquired pneumonia, with some cases becoming severe. The Sunday News reported that five people had died, while hospital figures showed a rise in respiratory cases among children and adults between May and July.
Doctors who spoke to B-Metro on condition of anonymity for professional reasons said tests they had conducted on patients with the flu-like illness had returned negative for Covid-19.
That has offered some reassurance, but has not completely silenced public anxiety.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care was also approached by B-Metro for clarity on the illness, including questions on whether there was any evidence linking the cases to Covid-19.
Questions were sent on August 5 to Permanent Secretary Dr Aspect Maunganidze, but the ministry had not responded by the time of going to print.
For now, health professionals are urging people not to ignore severe respiratory symptoms, particularly when there is difficulty breathing, persistent fever, chest pain, confusion or worsening weakness.
And while negative Covid tests are encouraging, they do not explain severe respiratory infections or remove the need for vigilance, especially among vulnerable patients.
The debate over “flu or Covid” may continue, but the deaths at Mpilo have added urgency to a simple message: a respiratory illness should not be taken lightly simply because it is called flu.
Zimbabweans may have moved on from the Covid-19 era, but the fear of another deadly respiratory outbreak has clearly not disappeared.
