dyton mupawaendaThe Herald, December 1, 1992
THE Mutare City Health Department is to announce today stringent precautionary measures aimed at preventing the spread of cholera which broke out in two refugee camps in Manicaland province.
The senior hygiene officer in the department, Cde Simon Mashababe, said in an interview yesterday that some of the measures “might not be palatable”, particularly with hawkers, adding that his department had already sharpened its preparedness in case of an outbreak.
He said no proven case had been reported in Mutare so far, but did not rule out the danger of an outbreak, particularly during days when water supplies are cut.
Mutare’s water supplies are cut every alternate day, except on Mondays. Meanwhile, authorities at Tongogara refugee camp, one of the two affected, declined to comment on the cholera outbreak at the camp. – Ziana.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.
Symptoms include profuse watery diarrhoea, sometimes described as “rice-water stools”, vomiting, thirst, leg cramps and restlessness or irritability.
According to the World Health Organisation, cholera started spreading across the world during the 19th century from its original reservoir in the Ganges delta in India. Since then there have been six subsequent pandemics that killed millions of people across all continents.
The current (seventh) pandemic started in South Asia in 1961 and reached Africa in 1971 and the Americas in 1991. Cholera is now endemic in many countries.
Cholera is countered by drinking and using safe water, wash of hands often with soap and safe water, using designated toilets instead of the bush, boiling and cooking food and consuming it while it is still hot and washing all fruits under running water.
The country is currently battling another cholera outbreak with water shortages affecting hygiene standards for most households, especially the poor.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter