Cholera Spreads like Veld Fire in Zimbabwe’s Rural Communities

WHILE previous Cholera outbreaks in Zimbabwe were recorded in urban areas where there is poor water and sanitation services, the obtaining Cholera outbreak seem to be spreading fast in rural communities. By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe reported its first Cholera case in February this year in Chegutu before the outbreak spread to the country’s 10 provinces. The outbreak at some point subsided, only to resurface in Buhera, Manicaland province, where majority of those dying and contracting the diseases are white garment sect members according to government. As of October, 20 2023,…

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USAID provides support to vulnerable and disaster-prone communities in Zimbabwe.

HARARE– The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing US$1,097,540 to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for a 14-month project to build resilience for migrant returnees and their households through income-generating activities. IOM has identified Mwenezi, Zaka, Nkayi, Matobo, and Umzingwane districts as particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, hyperinflation, and poverty. Households in these communities struggle to raise adequate income to meet essential needs and are often fully dependent on remittances during certain periods of the year. IOM’s surveys have shown that in these areas,…

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Zimbabwe Government cracks head over untraceable Cholera origins

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…

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MSF Pilots New ART Dispensing Model In Mwenezi

MEDECINS Sans Frontiers in Zimbabwe (MSF), has launched a new system of administering Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) drugs in Mwenezi, Masvingo in a bid to increase ART adherence, amidst indications that many ART clients were now defaulting on their medications due to the long distance and inaccessibility of health facilities. By Michael Gwarisa recently in Sovelela, Mwenezi The new ART administering method dubbed Out of Facility Community ART Distribution (OFCAD),  is an outreach strategy whereby patients no longer need to visit a health care facility to access ART but rather the…

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