Chronicle Editor
Flora Fadzai Sibanda, [email protected]
THE United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has partnered with the Government to assist 2,2 million people with oral cholera vaccination in the 29 high-risk districts that have been affected by the outbreak.
In a statement yesterday, Unicef said the partnership was part of measures to save lives by ensuring that people have clean water supply, and good sanitation while working with communities among other critical interventions.
So far, the programme has benefited more than 190 000 people including 87 000 children since the outset of the outbreak.
“With schools having recently opened, Unicef is holding a cholera-prevention back-to-school campaign. Unicef has so far reached 4,4 million people with cholera messages on infection prevention and control and access to services,” reads the statement.
“We provided supplies to more than 50 cholera treatment centres for the treatment of patients.”
Zimbabwe has been battling cholera since February last year, recording 18 332 suspected cholera cases and 329 suspected deaths. About 2 145 cases and 71 deaths have been confirmed as cholera-related.
The Government has put in place measures that seek to strengthen systems as part of its effort to address the cholera outbreak.
This includes increasing the supply of piped water without interruptions at the household level. —@flora_sibanda
Online Reporter