Harare, March 15 (IANS) Zimbabwe has recorded 124 confirmed cases of cholera since the latest outbreak started in November last year, Minister of Health and Child Care Douglas Mombeshora said.
Addressing a press conference in Harare, Mombeshora said Zimbabwe has registered 15 confirmed deaths, 608 suspected cases, and 566 recoveries.
Six out of the country’s 10 provinces have been affected, with the bulk of recent cases reported in Mashonaland Central Province, the minister noted.
According to Mombeshora, most cases were identified among artisanal miners along the Mazowe River and the small farming town of Glendale in Mashonaland Central Province, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Artisanal miners move from place to place and as they move, they also spread cholera. As a result, we have seen the persistence of cases coming up from Mashonaland Central Province, especially along the Mazowe River where a lot of gold panning is taking place,” he said.
“We are looking at the possibility of getting more vaccines because our stocks have run out. We now have about 4,000 doses only left, which are not enough to deal with the affected areas,” the health minister added.
Mombeshora also revealed that recurring cholera outbreaks continued to hit Zimbabwe, primarily driven by a lack of sustainable water and sanitation infrastructure.
According to the World Health Organisation, cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It is a global public health threat and indicates inequity and lack of social and economic development. Access to safe water, basic sanitation and hygiene is essential to prevent cholera and other waterborne diseases.
Most people with cholera have mild or moderate diarrhoea and can be treated with oral rehydration solution (ORS). However, the disease can progress rapidly, so starting treatment quickly is vital to save lives. Patients with severe disease need intravenous fluids, ORS and antibiotics.
Cholera outbreaks occur regularly in some countries. In others, they are less frequent, and it may be years between outbreaks. Cholera is linked to limited access to safe water, basic sanitation facilities and poor hygiene practices. This may be due to conflict, population displacement, climate events like cyclones, floods or drought, and lack of investment in maintaining and improving WASH services and infrastructure.
–IANS
int/jk/vd
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
