Cholera cases rise over holidays

CHOLERA cases continued to rise after the Christmas and New Year holidays, with 252 new suspected cases and five deaths reported on Wednesday countrywide.

On the same day, there were 16 laboratory confirmed cholera cases.

Statistics released by the Ministry of Health and Child Care on Wednesday showed that Chiredzi had 49 cases, Chitungwiza 32, Mazowe 27, Kuwadzana 21, Glen View 20, Kariba 16, Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases Hospital 16, Budiriro 16 and Buhera 14.

Other areas that reported cases are Mutare 1, Rutsanana 5, Highfield 5, Mbire 4, Gweru and Gutu had 3, Chipinge 2, Rushinga 2, Masvingo 2 and UMP 2.

Chirumhanzu, Mberengwa, Zvishavane, Zaka, Murehwa, Mutoko and Mutare reported one case each.

Fifty-seven districts have reported cholera cases so far, and as of Wednesday, 221 were cases hospitalised.

Since the outbreak of cholera, Zimbabwe has recorded 15 137 suspected cholera cases, 1 759 confirmed cases, 14 578 recoveries, 67 confirmed deaths and 266 suspected deaths.

City of Harare director of health Dr Prosper Chonzi yesterday said cholera cases were on the rise again, due to the ongoing rains being experienced.

Giving an update on the cholera situation in the capital, Dr Chonzi encouraged residents to be careful.

“Cholera cases continue to rise and we have plans to address such issues such as water, sanitation and hygiene but our biggest problem now is the fact that people are coming to our treatment facilities very sick,” he said.

“They seem to be taking this condition for granted and taking too long to make decisions to come to our facilities (and) therefore, we are losing a lot of patients unnecessarily.”

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