By Elizabeth Sitotombe
LAST month, 60 cholera cases were reported at Mazoe Flowers Farm compound, of which one case proved fatal. The cause of the outbreak was blamed on raw sewage which contaminated the only reliable potable source of water.
However, the worst cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe was recorded in 2008-2009 with 98 585 reported cases and 4 287 reported deaths. The initial outbreak was notable for its high cumulative case fatality rate (4,3 percent) that persisted over a protracted duration (10 months). It was then followed by a second wave of infections lasting through to June 2011.
As of January 21 2025, Zimbabwe had recorded 302 suspected cholera cases, 30 confirmed cases and 286 recoveries, according to the Ministry of Health and Child Care. The Government had just declared the end to an earlier outbreak in August 2024.
The Health and Child Care Deputy Minister, Sleiman Kwidini, ascribed the latest outbreak to contamination of water sources.
Provincial health promotion officer Takura Mzorodzi urged councils and responsible authorities to ensure the provision of safe water to communities, Underscoring the importance of regular refuse collection and the maintenance of sewer systems to prevent cholera outbreak.
Germs thrive in dirty surroundings, such as burst sewer pipes and uncollected rubbish. These have become a common eyesore in the high-density and other suburbs in urban centres.
Harare’s water supply system has failed to cover the city’s population and, to this date, little has been done to correct this. This has led to households sinking boreholes and shallow wells, some of which are contaminated by human faecal matter and bacteria-laden refuse fluids through seepage.
What is cholera?
Cholera is a bacterial disease usually spread through contaminated water.
Cholera can be fatal within a few hours if left untreated as it causes severe diarrhoea and dehydration.
Contaminated water supplies are the main source of cholera infection.
Most people who have been exposed to the cholera bacterium do not become ill and may not even be aware that they have been infected. But because they shed cholera bacteria in their stool for seven to 14 days, they can still infect others through contaminated water.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO): “Cholera can be endemic or epidemic. A cholera-endemic area is an area where confirmed cholera cases were detected during the last three years with evidence of local transmission (meaning the cases are not imported from elsewhere). A cholera outbreak/epidemic can occur in both endemic countries and in countries where cholera does not regularly occur.”
The disease was studied during an epidemic in Egypt by Robert Koch (1843-1910), a German bacteriologist, who found a bacterium in the intestines of those who had died of cholera, but could neither isolate the organism nor infect animals with it.
The v. cholera bacteria, the cause of cholera infection, was discovered later in 1883 when Koch went to India, where he succeeded in isolating the bacteria.
There are many serogroups of v. cholerae, but only two – O1 and O139 – cause outbreaks of cholera. It thrives in rainy, damp weather.
Toxic strains of cholera bacteria produce a poison that triggers violent diarrhoea in humans.
A person with cholera can quickly lose body fluids — up to 20 litres a day — resulting in severe dehydration while shock can occur.
This can lead to the collapse of the circulatory system.
It is a life-threatening condition and a medical emergency.
Symptoms of cholera infection include:
- – Diarrhoea: Cholera-related diarrhoea is sudden. One can lose fluid so quickly; about a litre per hour. The stool is often pale, with a milky appearance that resembles water in which rice has been rinsed.
– Nausea and vomiting: This often occurs in the early stages of cholera and can last for hours.
– Dehydration: Can occur within hours after the start of cholera symptoms. Signs of dehydration include irritability, fatigue, sunken eyes, a dry mouth, extreme thirst as well as dry and shrivelled skin that is slow to bounce back when pinched. Sometimes little or no urine comes out.
One can have low blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat.
Causes
– Contaminated public wells are frequent sources of large-scale cholera outbreaks.
– People in crowded conditions without adequate sanitation are at high risk.
– Grains, such as rice, that are contaminated after cooking and kept at room temperature for several hours can grow cholera bacteria.
– Unwashed fruits and vegetables are a frequent source of cholera in areas where there is cholera.
Prevention
– Sanitising or washing your hands with soap and water frequently, especially after using the toilet and before one handles food.
– Drink safe water that has been boiled, disinfected or bottled water — even when brushing your teeth.
– Avoid buying food in the streets. Be sure to eat hot food that is well cooked.
– Avoid foods you cannot peel yourself, such as grapes, instead opt for bananas or oranges.
And most of the wells are dug right next to garbage dumping sites.
A solution is needed.
Changes need to be made; our city fathers are sleeping on the job at the expense of ratepayers’ lives!
The people’s health lies squarely in the hands of these non-deliverers.
