Cholera: Goverment now says funerals are super spreaders
Zimbabweans have been urged to limit attending funerals after the Health and Child Care ministry identified the gatherings as cholera super spreaders. The country is battling to contain a cholera outbreak that was first detected in February last year.
As of Friday, Zimbabwe had recorded 19 315 suspected cholera cases since the outbreak started in Chegutu in February last year with suspected 344 deaths so far.
Harare had the highest number of suspected cases at 6 989 followed by the largely rural Manicaland Province, which had 5 524 suspected cases while Bulawayo had by far the lowest number of cases at 14.
In a statement on Friday, the Health ministry warned against attending funerals in the interim.
“We have realised that funeral gatherings are acting as super spreaders of cholera in Zimbabwe,” the ministry said.
“Therefore, the ministry is advising all members of the public to report all deaths that occur in the community and that all burials, especially from diarrhoeal causes whether proven cholera or not should be supervised by health workers. “Eating at burials should be limited.” Cholera is a water-borne disease that can spread rapidly in areas with poor sanitation and is caused by the ingestion of contaminated water or food.
The disease is now endemic in the country with the worst outbreak having been recorded between 2008 and 2009.
Over 4 000 people lost their lives at the time before international partners such as Unicef intervened.
Community Working Group on Health executive director Itai Rusike said cholera was a public health threat, especially in overcrowded areas and public gatherings where access to clean and safe water and sanitation remain a challenge.
“Weaknesses in water and sanitation infrastructure and services, high risk hygiene and social practices, gaps in surveillance and healthcare systems are some of the drivers of cholera,” Rusike said.
“Underground water may be contaminated by leakages from the dilapidated sewerage system, unfortunately there is general low practice of treatment of drinking water from the boreholes or the protected and unprotected dug wells.”
Rusike said there is a need to ensure an effective multi-sectoral approach in the fight against cholera.
He urged authorities to increase access to clean, safe and sustainable water supply at household level including access to basic sanitation facilities.
“Oral cholera vaccine should be deployed to the identified hot spots and the government should seriously consider nationwide cholera vaccination and this should be combined with sustainable long-term water sanitation and hygiene interventions to prevent recurrence of cholera outbreaks,” Rusike said.
“We need to increase cholera awareness and prevention at community level and this should include early detection, referral of suspected cholera cases through community based surveillance.”