A diarrhoeal outbreak is feared at Sipepa transit camp in Tsholotsho North due to a shortage of water and overcrowding, Southern Eye has heard.
Source: Flood victims at risk of diarrhoea – NewsDay Zimbabwe March 23, 2017
By XOLISANI NCUBE
Briefing journalists during a National Aids Council (NAC) organised tour of Matabeleland North province on Tuesday, Sister-In-Charge at Sipepa clinic, Merjury Maphosa, said up to 500 out-patient cases were now being handled almost every week.
“On the hygiene side, the problem that we have is that of toilets. The toilets which were put up are almost full.
So we need more temporary toilets,” said Maphosa, who is the vice-chairperson of the committee co-ordinating the stay of more than 850 flood victims.
“Currently, there is no outbreak of disease at the camp, but there are increasing cases of headaches, upper respiratory infections and abdominal discomfort and not diarrhoea.”
Maphosa said the 250 families at the camp were facing serious accommodation challenges.
She said the families were being grouped in three to four families per tent, resulting in overcrowding and raising fears of the spread of other transmissible diseases.
Maphosa said to reduce incidences of sexually-transmitted diseases, NAC and other stakeholders were conducting educational programmes on condom use and healthy living.
“At least every day in the morning 10 boxes of condoms are put at strategic points and we have seen a massive uptake. We are teaching them on proper condom use and disposal. We have young people in the camp whom we don’t want to be exposed to these things,” she said.
Maphosa said so far 87 youths participated in voluntary HIV counselling and testing and three of them tested positive and have since been initiated on the life prolonging Anti-retroviral drugs.
She said 63 villagers were on anti-retroviral drugs and their medication was being sourced from elsewhere after their tablets were swept away by floods.
Incessant rains witnessed between December and February left more than 2 000 families homeless across the country.
For the Tsholotsho victims, government identified a place on higher ground to relocate them but over $12 000 is needed for each family to start construction.
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