The cholera epidemic, which has claimed more than 1600 lives in Zimbabwe, may worsen during the peak of the rainy season prompting government to launch an anti-cholera awareness programme. The rainy season which began in November usually peaks in January and ends late March.
Under the programme the government plans to distribute information on cholera influencing factors such as rainy season, unsupervised funerals and flooding among others.
“The reason why we have engaged in this campaign is that cholera is more severe during the rainy season hence we might have more outbreaks,” said Health Minister, David Parirenyatwa, at the launch the information campaign Monday.
The water borne disease which is easily preventable and treatable began spreading in August last year as a result of poor sanitation facilities as the country’s health system continue on a massive downturn.
ActionAid, an International anti-poverty agency last week said the cholera risk will increase as refuse and sewage are “washed into watercourses” as the rainy season progresses.
“With the rainy season already begun, the cholera hazard will inevitably increase as refuse and sewage are washed into watercourses. It is vital that large scale clean-up operations start right away in urban areas and that cholera prevention programmes are scaled up across the country,” said Jane Moyo, ActionAid spokeswoman.
Since cholera began spreading in August last year there has been controversy over the major cause of the pandemic. Government apportions the blame on economic sanctions by Western countries but independent critics maintain government’s mismanaged policies have been the biggest spark of the health catastrophe.
Many Zimbabweans had however pinned their hopes on the power sharing agreement signed last September between political leaders Robert Mugabe of Zanu PF and opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara would ease the political instability and help the country deal with the humanitarian crisis. The leaders are still to share power in a country gripped by a decade long hyper-inflationary environment with shortages of food, fuel, foreign currency among a host of other basics the order of the day.
