admin
amid complaints by Kuwadzana residents that fish vendors are now trading at night.
Residents interviewed yesterday said policing of vending activities was only during the day and fish vendors were taking advantage of darkness to trade.
Harare City Council director of health services Dr Prosper Chonzi, has confirmed that samples taken from fish, raw and cooked meat tested positive for Salmonella typhi, the bacteria that causes typhoid.
Dr Chonzi said the city was tracking patients who were treated at other health centres to establish their contacts and also test them for typhoid.
“We are now overwhelmed. We are now seeking partners to help us,” he said.
At Kuwadzana Polyclinic a considerable number of patients were seeking treatment.
TYPHOID IN HARARE
Women with babies strapped on their backs could be heard complaining that their children had stomach problems.
Mrs Jane Ruzvidzo complained that the disease could have been caused by sewer pipe bursts that affected the suburb in December.
She said although there was abundant water, concern was on potability.
She said refuse collection was erratic.
Her colleague, Mrs Fiona Marumahoko, said butchers were handling meat with bare hands exposing residents to typhoid.
Mr Amos Mugoni said the suburb was receiving unrestricted water supplies but suspected that lack of hygiene was to blame for the typhoid outbreak.
Mr Boniface Goredema said since the city officials moved around telling people about typhoid, some residents were now shunning vendors.
He, however, said fish vendors still roamed the suburb at night with residents buying because of the low prices.
He was supported by Mr Terrence Martin who said a number of people had stomach problems after eating fish and meat bought from the vendors.
Harare Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda says more effort should be invested in rebuilding the national economy to get more people gainfully employed to kill the burgeoning open air foodstuffs vending market.
Mr Masunda made the remarks in response to questions on how best the city should address the problem of illegal vending that gave rise to typhoid.
“The real issue is that we must redouble our efforts to rebuild our country’s bruised economy, thus get more people in gainful employment,” he said.
His comments come as the number of people treated for typhoid as of yesterday afternoon stood at 756.
New cases that were treated at other health centres had not been captured.
Mr Masunda said Zimbabwe had competitive advantages over a number of countries both in the developed and developing world, citing a high literacy rate, strong work ethic, abundant natural resources and a reasonably robust infrastructure.
He said residents should be discouraged from buying a variety of food items such as meat and fish from illegal vendors “who usually operate in circumstances which are not exactly salubrious”.
Residents have been urged to boil all water for domestic use and treat it with aqua tablets that are available for free at all council clinics.
Online Reporter