News / Health
Zim diarrhoeal cases triple
01 Dec 2011 at 07:22hrs | Views
REPORTED diarrhoeal cases throughout the country have tripled this year compared to last year affecting mostly children under five years, a Cabinet Minister has said.
Speaking to journalists during a media briefing yesterday Health and Child Welfare Minister Dr Henry Madzorera said a total of 228 936 cases and 110 deaths have been reported since the beginning of the year.
He said children below the age of five years account for 60 percent of these cases.
"In 2011, national health statistics indicate a threefold increase in diarrhoea activity. We note from our statistics that common diarrhoea affects mostly the under five-year -olds," Dr Madzorera said.
However, cholera cases for this year are much lower than that for 2010 and 2009 period with 1 119 suspected cases and 45 deaths reported.
Cases of typhoid continue to be reported mainly in Dzivarasekwa with an accumulative figure of 437 as of yesterday. Sporadic suspected typhoid cases have also been reported in various parts of Harare, Norton and Nyabira. Areas affected in Harare include Glen View, Tynwald South, Good Hope, Kuwadzana, Budiriro, and Westgate. Dr
Madzorera attributed the increase of diarrhoeal diseases to lack of proper sanitary facilities.
"For this reason, agents of these diseases - salmonella typhi (which causes typhoid), shigella dysenteriae (which causes dysentery), vibrion cholera (causes cholera) and rotavirus (causes diarrhoea) are now widely available in the environment where our children play and families socialise," said Dr Madzorera.
He said contamination of water or food with human waste is rampant in both rural and urban areas because of the practice of open defecation and sewage spills that go unattended.
"There is little control of rodents, flies, and other vectors of disease and slow progress in upgrading, refurbishing or replacing water and sewerage infrastructure," he said.
According to the World Health Organisation, diarrhoeal diseases represent a major public health problem in developing countries.
Speaking to journalists during a media briefing yesterday Health and Child Welfare Minister Dr Henry Madzorera said a total of 228 936 cases and 110 deaths have been reported since the beginning of the year.
He said children below the age of five years account for 60 percent of these cases.
"In 2011, national health statistics indicate a threefold increase in diarrhoea activity. We note from our statistics that common diarrhoea affects mostly the under five-year -olds," Dr Madzorera said.
However, cholera cases for this year are much lower than that for 2010 and 2009 period with 1 119 suspected cases and 45 deaths reported.
Madzorera attributed the increase of diarrhoeal diseases to lack of proper sanitary facilities.
"For this reason, agents of these diseases - salmonella typhi (which causes typhoid), shigella dysenteriae (which causes dysentery), vibrion cholera (causes cholera) and rotavirus (causes diarrhoea) are now widely available in the environment where our children play and families socialise," said Dr Madzorera.
He said contamination of water or food with human waste is rampant in both rural and urban areas because of the practice of open defecation and sewage spills that go unattended.
"There is little control of rodents, flies, and other vectors of disease and slow progress in upgrading, refurbishing or replacing water and sewerage infrastructure," he said.
According to the World Health Organisation, diarrhoeal diseases represent a major public health problem in developing countries.
Source - herald
