Online Reporter
The Herald 16 December 1992
CHOLERA is spreading in three of Zimbabwe’s Eastern Districts with 25 deaths and 755 cases reported since the disease first surfaced at Tongogara refugee camp in Chipinge district last month.
People have been urged to take care where they get certain foods. One isolated case has been reported from Mukumbura, a border post in the north-east part of Zimbabwe.
Most of the cases 670 have been in Tongogara and all but one of those who died were refugees in the camp. But another 30 cases have been reported from Chipinge district, 35 from Chimanimani and 15 from Mutare district as the disease spreads north along the border. Many of these were Mozambicans.
Both Mozambicans and Zimbabweans have been hit by eating and drinking food and water contaminated with faecal matter from infected people. Tongogara camp is now under quarantine, the Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr Timothy Stamps, said yesterday. The ministry believes the disease was brought into the camp in contaminated food sold to the refugees by other Mozambicans.
The first case of cholera was reported in the camp on November 26. Two of the confirmed 755 cases were people from Beira, one of whom died.
The ministry had deployed personnel in the affected areas and had the outbreak under control, said Dr Stamps. Cholera was easy to prevent if people kept food under hygienic conditions and were careful about what water they drank.
Drought did increase risks, since some rural people did not have access to safe water. There were fears by some that the coming of the rains could help spread the disease by flooding contaminated pools.
Dr Stamps said people should be careful about where they bought food if the disease was to be contained and eliminated.
“Raw food, cooked meat, fats, fish, cheese and milk are good examples of some of the foods people should be careful of.”
The ministry did not encourage street vending of food anywhere in Zimbabwe and had warned people from some neighbouring countries not to bring food into Zimbabwe unless this had been bought from a registered outlet.
Lessons for today:
- Cholera has not disappeared from Zimbabwe. It remains a recurring public health challenge, with outbreaks linked to poor sanitation and unsafe water. In fact, there has been a fresh outbreak since late 2024, and cases continue to be reported across several districts in 2025. The latest resurgence shows that vigilance, infrastructure repair, and hygiene practices are critical to preventing further spread.
- Cholera spreads through food and water contaminated with faecal matter. This highlights the need for proper sanitation, safe water sources, and hygienic food handling. People should be cautious about buying food from unregulated sources, especially during outbreaks.
- Refugee camps, like Tongogara, were highly vulnerable to disease outbreaks due to overcrowding and limited access to clean water and sanitation. The outbreak involved both Mozambicans and Zimbabweans, showing how diseases can easily cross borders. Regional cooperation in health surveillance is essential.
- Diseases do not respect borders. Regional cooperation and monitoring are vital to control outbreaks.
- Drought forces people to use unsafe water sources, increasing risk while heavy rains can worsen contamination by spreading infected water hence people should be educated on proper handling of water and food.
