AT least five new suspected cholera cases have been recorded in Kariba bringing the cumulative figure to 70, latest data shows, amid calls by experts to scale up case management and surveillance.
Cholera was early this month detected in the fishing town.
The latest cholera cases come three months after government declared an end to a cholera outbreak following zero reports of cholera cases in the country for more than four consecutive weeks in line with Global Task Force on Cholera Control guidelines.
But a cholera situation report for Kariba availed by the Health and Child Care ministry yesterday, revealed that there were no new deaths with the cumulative suspected deaths remaining at one.
The overall case fatality rate remained at 1,4%.
However, a health expert yesterday called on authorities to increased case management and surveillance so that the disease does not spread to other areas in Zimbabwe.
In an interview yesterday, health expert Johannes Marisa said cholera was a waterborne disease that should be easy to contain.
“We should have access to clean water, observe good hygiene, improve our sanitation and educate the communities about the risk of the disease.
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“Government should upscale disease surveillance, increase its testing capacity while improving case management in health facilities. We do not expect any mortality from this medieval disease,” he said.
According to the report, the recovery rate is at 98,6% while positivity rate is at 54,3%.
On surveillance and laboratory, 13 contacts were traced on Sunday this week while 1 007 people were administered the Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) dose and surveillance was ongoing in the communities in ward 2 in Nyaminyami district.
The cholera outbreak was first recorded on November 4 this year at Gatche Gatche fishing camp in Kariba.
An index case was a female aged 35 years, who was initially treated as an outpatient and discharged, but later died at home.
“The following day on November 5, four new cases visited Gatche Gatche Clinic with the same signs and symptoms and were tested and 4 were laboratory confirmed with vibrio cholerae,” the report read.
Government has since roped in partners including the MSF and Red Cross which have provided transport for OCV administering activities.
Law enforcement agents have been engaged to regulate movement of fish, with environmental health technicians conducting food quality inspections.
Health and Child Care deputy minister Sleiman Kwidini recently said the government was making efforts to contain cholera in Kariba, adding that it sent provincial and district teams to work on stopping further spread of the disease.
“We will make sure vaccinations are given to people in the area, but generally the issue is not yet out of hand,” he said.
Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) implored the government to urgently ensure adherence to constitutional, legal and policy provisions on cholera and related diseases.
In a statement, CWGH executive director Itai Rusike applauded the strides made by the government in the form of the Public Health Act, but decried lack of attention to effective implementation of the positive paperwork.
The cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe was reported in Chegutu on February 12 last year and escalated into a critical public health emergency, affecting all the country's 10 provinces.
