SHORTAGE of clean running water has reportedly fuelled a sudden increase in cases of typhoid and common diarrhoea cases mostly in urban centres.
By Phyllis Mbanje
Nearly 300 000 cases of diarrheal disease have been reported since the beginning of the year and 323 deaths recorded in the same period, a weekly disease surveillance report from the Ministry of Health has revealed.
Diarrhoeal infections thrive under unhygienic conditions.
The report indicated that 60% of the victims were children under five years of age.
Erratic water supplies have seen many people resorting to unclean water sources which are a breeding ground for waterborne diseases like typhoid and dysentery.
Harare City Council’s director of health services Prosper Chonzi told NewsDay that they had noted an increase in diarrhoeal cases at most council clinics.
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“People are not getting water 24 hours and even though the situation has slightly improved, the shortages are still unacceptable,” said the director.
Chonzi also said most of these cases were being recorded from new resettlements like Hopley and Hatcliffe Extension which did not have access to proper sanitation .
“In most of these areas there are no ablution facilities and people use pit latrines while others use the bush toilet,” he said.
He said the situation was worse in rural areas where 34% of the people had no access to toilets.
