CHRA community monitors expose serious diarrhoea outbreak

via CHRA COMMUNITY MONITORS EXPOSE SERIOUS DIARRHOEA OUTBREAK IN MABVUKU by Tendai Muchada.

Mabvuku residents have been hit by another deadly diarrhoea outbreak which has infected more than 900 people with women and children being the worst affected. This was revealed from our community monitoring report for the week ending Saturday the 21^st of June by our ward coordinators. Mabvuku Poly Clinic recorded 530 cases with Mabvuku Satellite Clinic recording 372 patients by midday Thursday last week and the situation indicates that more people are still trickling at the health centres for medical check-ups.

A quick survey conducted revealed that the outbreak emanates from the inefficient supply of clean water and the use of unprotected water sources by residents. Residents suspect that the outbreak emerged after municipal water supply resumed   last week in areas that had not been receiving municipal water for more than eight months which could be attributed to rusting infrastructure.

 CHRA is in possession of records of some people who have been treated of diarrhoea at Mabvuku Clinic which were randomly collected from houses in different areas in the suburb. Meanwhile Council clinics are giving chlorine tablets to treat the “dirty” water supplied to them by the municipality, a scenario which could be an indicator that the Municipality acknowledges that the water being supplied to residents is not safe.