Bulawayo in cholera scare

BULAWAYO City Council (BCC)'s health department said the city had recorded four cholera cases since January 30 as the waterborne disease keeps spreading across the country.

This was revealed during the Bulawayo Metropolitan Provincial Development Committee meeting held at Mhlahlandlela government offices yesterday.

"As of January 30, we have recorded four cumulative cholera cases, ... one death, four recoveries and 26 suspected cholera cases," BCC strategic engineer Prosper Mateza  said.

"The confirmed victims are housed at Thorngrove Hospital and we are suspecting that there could be more cases since some patients are awaiting their results."

Bulawayo Provincial Affairs minister, Judith Ncube said rising cholera cases in the city were concerning.

"Last week, we had a meeting and were notified that one cholera case was reported and today we are at four," Ncube said.

"This means the numbers are growing and there is an urgent need to safeguard these cases to try and fight them from spreading."

The country has so far recorded over 20 000 cases and plus 400 deaths since the outbreak was detected in February last year.

In Bulawayo, there are fears that the disease will spread quickly amid a relentless water crisis which has seen residents go for several days without supplies.

In 2020, at least 13 people died during a diarrhoea outbreak in Bulawayo at the height of a water crisis.