Online Reporter
Victor Maphosa
Mashonaland East Bureau
THE District Development Coordinator for Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe Mr Douglas Hungwa has applauded the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society for responding swiftly to cholera outbreaks in some parts of the district, helping to mitigate the spread of the disease.
UMP district’s Dindi area in Ward 4 was the epicentre of the deadly disease. About 139 cases were recorded in the district, where nine people reportedly died.
The Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS), in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Government, has been actively implementing the Cholera Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) programme in Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe as well as in other districts across the country.
The programme included case management training with more than 40 health workers trained in cholera case management.
They were also trained on surveillance and outbreak response. Community health workers were trained on oral rehydration, setting up of oral rehydration points and how to operate them.
The workers were trained on cholera surveillance, contact tracing and data collection. Another major intervention was the rehabilitation of boreholes in the affected areas.
The rehabilitation of the boreholes helped provide safe water to the areas badly affected by the outbreak.
The programme included distribution of hygiene kits, buckets and soap to vulnerable households, helping them reduce transmission risks and improve sanitation.
“Last year, UMP was one of the unfortunate districts to be hit by the cholera pandemic and the major driver of the outbreak was open defecation, especially along the Mazowe River, where activities of artisanal miners are rife. Cases continued to rise up to early this year,” Mr Hugwa said.
“Fortunately for the district, we got some assistance from the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society which complemented efforts which were being done by the Government. They did a lot of activities that assisted us to quell the pandemic.
“These interventions include rehabilitation of boreholes, training of water point committees and training of village health workers on electronic data collection.
“Through all those interventions done by the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society in collaboration with Government, we managed to contain the pandemic and as we speak, we now do not have cholera cases in the district. So we applaud the interventions; they were effective and we pray that the collaboration will continue.”
