THE cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe has no epidemiological link to any country in the region or any place that has recorded cholera cases, meaning the local environment could be heavily contaminated and harbouring volumes of Cholera pathogens, a top health official has warned.
By Michael Gwarisa
This according to the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), poses an even bigger challenge as it was now difficult to locate the actual source of Cholera and control its spread on time. The First Cholera case was reported and recorded on February 12, 2023 in Chegutu before spreading to all other nice provinces.
Speaking during a Media Training that was hosted by the Elizabeth Glazer Paediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) in Kadoma, Mr Paul Chinakidzwa, the Deputy Director, Health Promotion in the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) said no one was safe from cholera as long as its origins remained a mystery.
What is making it difficult to us is that most of these cases have no epidemiological link with each other. Looking at the first case that was recorded in Chegutu, it was difficult for us to ascertain the origins of the infections as the person had no links to countries that had recorded cholera then.
“The same goes for all the cases we have recorded so far. Most of those cases have no links with the other places or communities where the diseases has been recorded. They have not been in contact with sick cholera patients. What this just tells us is that there is cholera in our environment,” said Mr Chinakidzwa.
By Friday, May 19, 68 new suspected cholera cases had been recorded, zero suspected deaths and eight laboratory confirmed results were reported. The suspected cases were reported from Glenview (16), Budiriro (13), Dzivarasekwa (14), (5), Mutare Rural (13), and Chimanimani (8). Under the same period, Zimbabwe has recorded 1188 suspected cholera cases, 318 confirmed cases, 1067 recoveries, nine confirmed deaths and 21 suspected deaths.
“All our health facilities are on high alert to ensure that we treat all suspected cholera cases and refer them for investigation. We have also sensitized village health workers and community health workers so that they monitor cholera in our communities. We have also integrated information on cholera to other existing program that we already working around.
“When health workers go out to immunize children, they are also talking about cholera. When they talk about Family Planning, they also talk about cholera. At the moment all cholera commodities have been deployed to districts to capacitate health facilities t handle the first cases of cholera before referring them further.”
Mr Chinakidzwa encouraged citizens to get vaccinated should government open up cholera vaccination.
Dr Michael Vere, an Epidemiologist with the Harare City Health Department recently told a Science Media Café that plans were already underway to rollout another round of cholera vaccination.
“Cholera vaccination is given in two rounds. If you get the first dose, you will have a shorter period of protection that lasts about six months. If you get two shots, it’s around two to three years. Plans are underway, we have already conducted assessments looking at the coverage of certain areas that were covered the previous time.
“The assessments have already been done and also mapping the hot-spots so that we can really have adequate interventions. We are hoping that in the next few weeks we will be able to roll out another round of Oral cholera vaccination. Now that the three years have already lapsed from the last time people received vaccination, it means everyone is now due for cholera vaccination regardless of previous vaccination status,” said Dr Vere.
17 cholera hotspot districts have been identified in the country and these are Buhera, Chegutu, Chikomba, Chimanimani, Chipinge, Chitungwiza, Chiredzi, Harare, Gokwe North, Marondera, Mazowe, Shamva, Mutare, Murehwa, Mwenezi, Seke and Wedza.
Zimbabwe experienced its worst Cholera outbreak in 2008 where thousands of people died mainly in Harare and other towns and cities. The other outbreak occurred in 2018. Though it was not as severe as the 2008 one, the Cholera causing bacteria had somehow developed resistance to first line medications, leading some deaths and severe sickness as patients were not responding to medication.
