Gweru-Zimbabwe-A tragic incident--an indication that Zimbabwe’s health delivery system once considered the glory of Africa has not only collapsed but is in a serious state of decay--occurred last week in the country’s third largest city, Gweru, when a couple from the city’s high density suburb of Mkoba II succumbed to cholera.
Chronicling how the water-borne disease was first detected in the city to councillors last Friday, Gweru City Council Deputy Director of Health Services, Dr Christopher Ruwodo said the husband, who was supposed to attend night duty, suddenly complained of diarrhea to his wife.
“The reports are that the man did not go to work but took a “rest.” He, however died the following morning at his home.
“As the city’s health department, we went to supervise the funeral to contain the spread of the disease. Unfortunately the wife became seriously ill at her husband’s funeral. She was rushed to the clinic in Mkoba but died on arrival.”
About nine people have since reportedly died from the disease in Gweru.
According to the government controlled daily papers, The Herald and The Chronicle, figures from government officials” though disputed” in some quarters indicate that the death toll from cholera has risen from 121 last month to 281 last week. However two United Nations bodies, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and World Health Organisation (WHO) put the total number of suspected cholera as of 18 November at 6,072 with 294 deaths. An international health charity, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which is also helping with logistics, estimates that 1. 4 million Zimbabweans are at risk. Independent analysts have blamed the Zimbabwean government of reporting fewer deaths, hence downplaying the gravity of the outbreak.
The endemic disease, which first began in the capital Harare’s satellite town of Chitungwiza, has since spread to all the country’s ten provinces mainly because of poor sanitation facilities in most urban centers which has seen the collapse of water and sewer reticulation systems in the areas.
Though the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) Director, Mr. Madzudzo Pawadyira is quoted in the government media saying, “We have put our maximum efforts to control the spread of the disease to different places throughout the country and we seem to be on course...” WHO however said in a statement the “outbreak is likely to continue as the water and sanitation situation is worsening, with severe shortages of potable water, sewage and waste disposal problems factored in for the most part of “the populated areas. “
Vice chairman of the Junior Doctors Association in Zimbabwe told BBC that cholera can be easily treated but if people die from the disease, it shows the magnitude of the health crisis in a country.
“Cholera is treatable, just fluids and tetracycline is enough, but if you get people dying of this diarrhea-that explains the state of the health crisis.”
Meanwhile, South Africa’s and Zimbabwean health officials met at the weekend to deal with the cholera outbreak and stop it from spilling across borders. A hospital in Musina in South Africa near the border with Zimbabwe has so far treated 168 patients of whom three have died.
Zimbabwe is currently experiencing the worst economic and political crisis since gaining political independence from British colonial rule in 1980. The catastrophe has however spread to other important sectors like health and education bringing them to total collapse. Mugabe’s regime blames Western countries and sanctions for the nation’s misfortune, a charge they deny accusing Harare of failure in proper policies implementation.
