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To address the cholera scourge, the government announced that it had approved a US$12 million budget for the national response to the cholera outbreak.
A cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, prompted calls for increased hygiene practices to prevent its spread as the city struggles with a shortage of clean water.
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According to Michael Vere, chief epidemiologist and disease control officer at Harare City Council, the epicenter of the outbreak is the high-density suburb of Kuwadzana, where nearly half of the reported cases were recorded.
Official reports indicate that authorities are advising people not to attend unauthorized markets and public gatherings.
Patrick Mutisi, a resident of Kuwadzana, says the situation on the ground is alarming. "Just this week, several people we have interacted with have been infected with cholera. We are very hurt, very sad, it is an easily preventable disease."
He also said that hygienic conditions, necessary for disease prevention, are not possible due to the shortage of clean water in the suburb.
Cholera patients and suspected cases are receiving treatment at a local clinic in Kuwadzana, a densely populated area of the Zimbabwean capital, Harare.
— NoComment (@nocomment) November 20, 2023
On Friday, authorities declared a state of emergency due to a resurgence of the disease impacting southern Zimbabwe. pic.twitter.com/EBDXp8Y50a
The city of Harare has had trouble supplying enough piped water to the growing population, causing residents to turn to unclean sources. "We only produce one-third of the water supply the city needs," Vere said, adding that the water the city gets from Lake Chivero, Harare's main source, is heavily polluted and requires many chemicals to treat.
"We also need to make sure that our sewer system is rehabilitated because the sewer system that we have in Harare is no longer able to cope with the population," Vere said.
In addition, Douglas Mombeshora, Zimbabwe's Minister of Health and Child Care, stated that at least 12 lives had been lost, seven of them in Kuwadzana, prompting a swift government response.
"There is a lot of movement of people to all areas of the country from Harare. That is why we are mounting a major response to this cholera outbreak, to suppress the cases in Harare," Mombeshora said in an official statement.
To address the cholera scourge, the government announced that it had approved a US$12 million budget for the national response to the cholera outbreak.
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