Calls have been made for Zimbabwe to declare the Cholera outbreak a national disaster as it battles with rising cases as this to allow for the much needed support from donor agencies.
Community Working Group on Health in Zimbabwe, Director Itai Rusike has called on the government to declare a national disaster so that international aid agencies can swiftly help to contain the cholera outbreak.
Zimbabwe is among Southern African countries including Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia grappling to contain new infections. The situation has been further compounded by the onset of the rainy season which has worsened the hygiene situation especially in high density areas.
Latest statistics released by the Ministry of Health and Child Care as at 17 January 2024, state that Zimbabwe has 18 865 suspected Cholera cases, 2 223 confirmed cases, 18 137 recoveries and 71 confirmed deaths and 336 suspected deaths.
Zvidzai Maburutse, Oxfam in Southern Africa Humanitarian Lead, says “We urgently need to scale-up people’s access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene awareness, and distribute many basic hygiene materials to impacted communities – but we urgently need more funding”.
Machinda Marongwe, Oxfam in Southern Programme Director emphasised on the need for more support to improve the situation.
“The unprecedented rate of cases and deaths is terrifying, and utterly overwhelming the health systems of these countries. The outbreak is spiraling into an uncontrollable health crisis and news that health workers in Zambia are also texting positive for Covid calls for an urgent multipronged response,”
“Governments and agencies in the region need immediate funding to swiftly implement activities and projects that would help improve people’s hygiene and access to clean water, since these two factors are key in the fight against the spread”.
