Category: WATER AND SANITATION

Cholera Returns To Zimbabwe Just Four Months After Declared End of Outbreak

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa One person has died in the latest Cholera outbreak that has infected 21 people in the resort town of Kariba in Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) has confirmed. The latest outbreak comes hot on the heals of a government proclamation four months ago that Zimbabwe had declared an end to the cholera outbreak that devastated multiple communities across the country. In an interview with HealthTimes, the Ministry of Health Kariba District Medical Officer Dr. Godfrey Muza confirmed the new outbreak urged citizens to…

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6000 rural boreholes malfunctioning: UNICEF

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere About 11 percent of the Zimbabwe’s rural boreholes were dysfunctional by August due to increasing use at a time when the country is enduring the effects of the El-Nino driven drought. This was said by United Nations Chidren’s Fund Zimbabwe (UNICEF Zimbabwe) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) specialist Tariro Mavi at a press briefing on Wednesday. Mavi said they observed an increase of borehole damage occurring each month.  She said more than 90 percent of the boreholes they surveyed in rural communities have broken down. “So, we’re…

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UNICEF Zimbabwe appeals for US$34m to mitigate El Nino’s impact on WASH

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere With the El-Nino induced drought severely affecting water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in Zimbabwe, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)’s is appealing for US$34 million to mitigate the impact of this climate change phenomenon. This appeal comes at a time where with increased funding much could be done to improve WASH for improved access to safe water and improved sanitation and hygiene services which are key to ensuring children’s rights to health, nutrition, education, and protection. Addressing the media, UNICEF representative to Zimbabwe Etona Ekole said…

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United States Government Invests Over US$100,000 to Improve Access to Safe Water In Harare

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In a move that is set to improve access to safe water among Harare residents, the U.S. government has invested US$150,000 through the American Center for Diseases Control (CDC) in partnership with UNICEF to support water quality monitoring in Harare. The support is part of the CDC’s support to the City of Harare in the cholera emergency response in areas cholera-affected urban areas. The investment involves the insulation of Chlorine boosters at water reservoirs to help in the disinfection of water before it is pumped into households.…

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The Intersection of Unpaid Care Work and Cholera In Zimbabwe: The Untold Tales of Women in Rural Settings

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Buhera Data from previous epidemics show that women and girls take on the bulk of unpaid or poorly paid care work in families and communities when formal health systems are unable to cope with the rising tide of infections. When COVID-19 hit in 2020, healthcare workers were overwhelmed with managing a novel but highly infectious respiratory infection. The growing demand for care in the context of the COVID-19 crisis deepened already existing inequalities in the gender division of labour, placing a disproportionate burden on women and…

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The cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe

Healthtimes

By Phillip Aruna Zimbabwe is grappling with the second-biggest outbreak of cholera in its history, with cases rapidly spreading across the country. It started on 12 February 2023, and to date, more than 600 people have died from cholera, and over 35,000 have been infected. To prevent people from continuously falling sick and to save lives, Zimbabwe has to invest in its water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure. Bacteria living in water causes cholera, a potentially deadly disease. Access to clean water, proper sanitation infrastructure, and hygiene measures reduce the…

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Buhera Village Head Leads Whole Village To Get Vaccinated After Losing Five Family Members To Cholera

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Buhera In Mubvirwi Village, Buhera under Chief Nyashanu, tales of how one family lost five members within a space of five days will forever be told decades from now. Even though this tragic incident occurred five months ago, when the Cholera outbreak was at its peak in Buhera District, one can easily sense the sadness and sombre atmosphere that has engulfed the once vibrant and happy village of Mubvirwi. The new graves that have sprouted across Villages in Buhera over the past few months are a…

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Zimbabwe Marks One Year Since Recording First Cholera Case

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Today, February 12, 2024, marks exactly 12 months since the first Cholera outbreak was reported in Zimbabwe in Chegutu, Mashonaland West. The Cholera anniversary comes in the wake of the outbreak having been reported in 61 districts in all the country’s 10 provinces. Deputy Cholera Incident Manager in the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), Dr Stephen Karim said the country was beginning to witness a positive trajectory in the cholera outbreak. You might remember that we reported the first case of Cholera was on the…

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Providing Point of Care Response To Cholera Patients In Harare’s Biggest Informal Settlement

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In Zimbabwe every year, December 22, marks Unity Day, an occasion to commemorate the signing of the Unity Accord in 1987, when Zimbabwe’s two rival political parties signed an agreement to end a protracted period of conflict. 36 years later, on December 22, 2023, everyone woke with anticipation to celebrate this important day on the national Calendar. For most Zimbabweans, it was a normal but cloudy Unity Day Holiday, with a high likelihood of precipitation later in the day. However, for Tanaka Nyamukoko (23) from Hopley, a…

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Major Boost For Harare Cholera Fight As Red Cross Donates Aqua Safe Water Quality Testing Kits and Gadgets

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The City of Harare health department has received five Aqua Safe Water Quality Testing Kits and gadgets from the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS), to strengthen the City’s water testing capacity and Diarrhoeal disease surveillance in Harare, HealthTimes has learnt. The donation is a brainchild of the  “Integrated Strategy for Cholera Risk Elimination and Mitigation” project funded by the Finnish Red Cross and the European Union (DG ECHO). The water quality test kits and gadgets will be used to strengthen water quality surveillance in the project target…

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