HARARE City Council’s health services director Prosper Chonzi yesterday said the local authority was providing water bowsers to cholera hotspots in the capital.
On Tuesday, Chonzi said the capital had recorded 21 cases, with Budiriro, Glen View 3 and Mt Pleasant Heights named as the epicentres of the waterborne disease.
Chonzi said the council was providing water in affected communities with bowsers, monitoring new cases, educating people on good hygienic practices and attending to sewer bursts in time.
“We want to make sure that the response to sewer bursts doesn’t take long,” Chonzi told NewsDay.
Five cholera deaths and 14 suspected deaths have been recorded in the country since the first occurrence in Chegutu, Mashonaland West province, in February.
This is according to the Health ministry cholera situation report, which also said a cumulative total of 620 suspected and 132 laboratory confirmed cases had been recorded as of May 2.
Chitungwiza health and environmental services head Tonderai Kasu said the local authority was well prepared to deal with cholera in the event that cases are recorded in the dormitory town.
“Chitungwiza has always been a cholera hotspot, but in the current outbreak, it has not yet been affected. We are still to get confirmed cases within the municipality’s jurisdiction,” Kasu said
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“We have been strengthening our disease surveillance systems, data management to be able to detect and prevent cholera.
“In addition we have been doing public awareness and advocacy activities in the community. We have also maintained a high level of preparedness.”
Only Matabeleland North province has not recorded a case.
