via Bulawayo24 NEWS | Typhoid outbreak hits Harare 17 August 2014 by Shamiso Yikoniko
AT least nine people have succumbed to typhoid while over 300 cases were reported in a fresh outbreak of the disease in Harare, Mutare and Chegutu.
The disease outbreak has been attributed to councils’ failure to provide safe drinking water in suburbs, some have gone for months without running water.
According to the latest weekly surveillance report by the Ministry of Health and Child Care, 370 cases have been recorded with 55 having been confirmed.
Ministry of Health and Child Care Director of Epidemiology and Disease Control Dr Portia Manangazira said poor water supplies was the major cause of typhoid.
“We have been barking for a long time now that water be supplied to people if we are to combat typhoid, but it seems decisions haven’t been made to improve people’s lives.
“The moment adequate water isn’t supplied, it becomes difficult to maintain personal hygiene, to cook healthy food and everything else that has to do with water. At the end of day, water-borne diseases become rampant,” she said.
Typhoid is a bacterial, water-borne disease transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with faeces of an infected person. This happens in conditions of poor sanitation and poor supply of clean water.
The erratic supply of running water has resulted in some residents seeking alternative sources including unsafe boreholes.
The Harare City Council and many other local authorities are failing to deliver clean and safe drinking water resulting in outbreaks of water-borne diseases like diarrhoea and dysentery.
So far, the cumulative figure for dysentery cases this year is 24 430 and 76 deaths while the cumulative figure for diarrhoea is 358 391 and 573 deaths. In 2012, typhoid outbreak affected more than 1 500 people in the country.
Dr Manangazira said even the Constitution guaranteed that people should be provided with clean water.
The national water policy (2013) points out that the overall goal of the water sector is to achieve sustainable utilisation of water resources that in turn will improve equity in access to freshwater by all Zimbabweans and the efficient use of water among competing users.
COMMENTS
what nxt, failed state but refuse to admit or release power to better people, those Zanu PF woman who endorse old Mugabe to contest the election on 2018, where were there. proper minds,?
despite this madness endorsement the old man must call it a day in December together with the entire former members
bb
zvakwana
This consequence of the destruction of water and sanitation systems is a ZANU gift to the nation. We are all at risk.
The collapse of the water supply systems, both urban and rural, is a major crisis.
Yet it seems that our leaders are engaged only in petty mud-slinging while people die of preventable water borne disease and our economic production stagnates because we have no water.
I support the Harare Residents Trust in its call for all city residents to boycott the payment of rates until our water supply is restored.
We should note that only by acting together as a community will we be strong enough to make our voice heard and respected.
If one or ten or one hundred of us boycott rates payments, then those few will merely be crushed by a ruthless city council.
But if we act in large numbers, if we all boycott rates until water supply is restored to our city, then we will have power. And the city will finally take this water crisis with the utmost seriousness that is required.
I don’t know when these people will realize that “Water is life.”
Building over the wet lands also compounds the problems.
He’ll yes! When will these greedy developers wake up and smell the coffee?
Should read “hell yes”
The masses should do something, something o to improve their lives. I do not see a council or country leadership that has failed for decades to deliver clean water will suddenly be able to do that o.
So the Mupfuri river has finally succumbed to the Municipal sewerage ponds draining into it. Good luck to those who have grabbed farms on the river!
OMG
Hope its not a cover up for imported Ebola ?
We must not rely on foreign aid Bob tells SADC. And who has been supplying all the water treatment chemicals in Zimbabwe Bob?
People are all going to be too sick to riot, Bob will be quite happy sipping his imported western water.
Where is the so-called Minister of Local Government in all this? He is always so quick to get involved in minor HCC matters so let’s see him do something about this catastrophe.
what next Cholera that they could not contain a few years ago or Ebola? and in the country the Dictators are meeting?
Ebola? Heaven help us then.
Harare residents have been reported to owe Harare Municipality $91.6 million for this killer water. What shall we do? Volunteer to buy our deaths through this undrinkable water or just refuse to pay until there is clean water in our taps. Food for thought.