Typhoid scary in Harare

Typhoid scary in Harare

By Admire Machiwenyika

Cases of the typhoid epidemic being reported in Kuwadzana recently and some parts of Harare have sent residents fear for their lives as more than 800 people have succumbed to the disease, so far, as the City council is failing to contain the situation.

“We attended to over 600 cases in Kuwadzana alone,” city health director Prosper Chonzi was Quoted as saying in the state media recently.

In Warren Park, also, over 260 people have been treated for diarrhea and this comes at a time when the City authorities are still battling to control an outbreak of typhoid, whose epicenter is in Dzivarasekwa, just a few kilometers from Warren Park and Kuwadzana.

Residents in Warren Park expressed disgruntled sentiments over the lack of competence by the City Council. They fear that a typhoid outbreak will come as a result of the increased cases of diarrhea.
Mirriam Rusere (35) a mother of two expressed her dissatisfaction towards the City Council as she said the council’s failure to provide clean water could lead to an outbreak.
“Due to unreliable provision of water supply and increasing cases of diarrhea, we now fear that this could lead to typhoid outbreak that struck Dzivarasekwa”, she said.

At Rujeko clinic in Dzivarasekwa, the situation is worsening as cases of people being brought for alleged cases of typhoid and diarrhea are increasing by each day. Make shift tents have been built at the clinic to cater for those suffering from typhoid and diarrhea.

A nurse at Rujeko clinic who commented on conditions of anonymity indicated that cases of typhoid are increasing daily.

“We are treating about 90 people each day for suspected diarrhea cases and about 20 cases for typhoid cases as well.” she said.

Mr Cephas Chinyama (45) a resident in Dzavarasekwa was concerned with the way the City council’s heath department is handling the typhoid situation.

“The majority of these cases are because of unsanitary conditions, flies, dirty water from shallow wells and boreholes sunk on places that are not recommended”, said Chinyama.

The Zimbabwe Medical Association secretary general, Dr Douglas Gwatidzo, said that Town house should step up its efforts to address the situation.

“Town house should institute sweeping reforms that will prevent a recurrence of water-borne diseases of the magnitude of the 2008 Cholera outbreak”, he stressed.

In 2011 over 439 cases were recorded to have struck the densely populated high-density suburb of Mabvuku and it claimed eight lives.

As customary city authorities have adopted a “hear no evil, see no evil” approach in an attempt to down play the obvious. On the contrary, facts are very stubborn and the figures tell otherwise.

The Ministry of Health has distanced itself from the outbreak as it indicated that it was within the parameters of the City Council and that the council has the mandate to curb the situation.

“It’s not part of us, we work with different departments and we are the Head Office, we only co-ordinate with things that have to do with HIV/AIDS,” said Andrew Nyambo from Ministry of Health.

Efforts to get comments from the City Council’s Public Relations department were fruitless.

Some of the typhoid symptoms on the first week include high fever, profuse sweating, non-bloody diarrhea, flat rash, headaches and coughing. On the second week one can experience rose-coloured spots on lower chest and abdomen, painful abdomen and constipation. On the third one can suffer from intestinal haemorrhage, intestinal perforation, very high fever and dehydration.

Typhoid can be prevented by maintaining sanitation, careful food preparation and washing hands and, using water from trusted, secure sources.