Beitbridge moves to curb cholera cases

Source: The Herald – Breaking news

Beitbridge moves to curb cholera cases 
On Wednesday, Beitbridge recorded seven suspected cholera cases, out of the 12 reported countrywide on that day.

Thupeyo Muleya-Beitbridge Bureau

Beitbridge Municipality intends to register all bulk water vendors in the town, with the view to minimise cases of people accessing unsafe water, which in turn causes the spread of cholera.

On Wednesday, Beitbridge recorded seven suspected cholera cases, out of the 12 reported countrywide on that day.

As of Wednesday, Zimbabwe had 12 hospitalised cases of cholera, with Beitbridge District Hospital (Cholera Treatment Camp) having half of those, a development that has prompted the municipality to explore ways of reducing, if not eliminating the disease.

Since cholera broke out in Zimbabwe, there have been 428 suspected cases, 90 confirmed cases, two confirmed deaths and seven suspected deaths.

It is thought that cholera cases are on the rise in Beitbridge as some new suburbs have issues related to sewer and water reticulation, just like most urban centres run by the opposition.

In a public notice this week, Beitbridge Municipality said: “In light of cholera outbreak in Beitbridge, especially in the SDP area (Kwalu 2), all owners or operators of water vending trucks are called upon to come forward and register with council on their operations. This has been necessitated by suspected unsafe water supplies being sold to members of the public.”

Beitbridge Municipality said the new measure, which is effective from today, will help its environmental officers to monitor the quality of water for the safety of residents. 

Those that are unregistered with the council, will not be allowed to trade.

The move comes shortly after the local Civil Protection intensified cholera awareness campaigns across the district.

Health authorities have since put medical staff on standby to deal with any cholera-related cases.

Acting district medical officer, Dr Tafadzwa Nyeve, said during a recent stakeholders meeting that they were treating every diarrhoea-related case as cholera until it is medically proven otherwise.

He said they have alerted all the medical staff from the over 16 primary health care facilities in the district to be on high alert.

“We are also doing surveillance through the Environment Health Department and testing water samples regularly. In addition, we have since established a Cholera Treatment Camp within the hospital to handle all the cholera-related cases and we are grateful for the support we are getting from local stakeholders,” said Dr Nyeve.

The setting up of the Cholera Treatment Camp was strategically done to avoid contaminating the hospital and other services offered to members of the public.

Civil Protection Committee acting chairperson, Mr Jahson Mugodzwa, said they have since activated their health sub-committee to raise awareness and trace all the cases within the district.

He said the risk communication team was already on the ground educating people about the disease in all high risk areas.

During the last cholera outbreak in 2008, Beitbridge was one of the most affected districts in the country due to its geographic location as a transit town.

Beitbridge district has an estimated population of 200 000, with 80 000 being in the urban settlement.

Additionally, the town hosts 15 000 travellers in transit through the Beitbridge Border Post daily and relies on one major Government hospital and 16 clinics.

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