Diarrhoea claims 1 in Tshabalala Extension

Source: Diarrhoea claims 1 in Tshabalala Extension – NewsDay Zimbabwe

BY NIZBERT MOYO
A DIARRHOEA outbreak in Tshabalala Extension, Bulawayo, has claimed one life and infected several other residents.

Rowesayi Gore (61) reportedly succumbed to diarrhoea on Sunday at Mpilo Central Hospital, her son Dananai confirmed the news yesterday.

“The doctor told us that her blood pressure (BP) dropped due to dehydration after she lost a lot of water from her body. Council officials gave us some tablets and advised us to visit the clinic if it got worse,” he said.

“We took her to the clinic on Friday where they told us that her BP had dropped and that she should stop using tablets. We took her to Mpilo Hospital on Sunday. The doctor told us that her BP was low due to dehydration caused by diarrhoea.”

In 2020, a diarrhoea outbreak in Luveve suburb claimed 13 lives and infected several others.

Tshabalala Extension Residents Association chairman Webster Tsondayi blamed council for Gore’s death.

“They must come back to us and tell us the truth as to what caused the contamination. We need to see the results being made public since they collected samples for testing,” Tsondayi said.

“They should engage us so that we can fight this problem together. Residents now fear using water because there is no assurance that the (council) water is safe.”

He added: “Residents are visiting the local clinic in numbers to get free treatment, but they are complaining of stomach pain.”

Bulawayo City Council (BCC) recently implemented a 72-hour water-shedding regime, which it claimed was necessitated by power cuts.

Residents said the water was smelly and dirty when it was restored.

The local authority is struggling to provide potable water to residents. Last week, the local authority confirmed the diarrhoea outbreak in Tshabalala Extension.

Last year, the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association sued the council for the diarrhoea outbreak.