Diarrhoea cases spike in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is grappling with a worrying surge in diarrhoea cases, with children under five years old emerging as the most vulnerable group, according to the latest Disease Surveillance Report released by the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

The report, which covers the month of September, revealed that 9,705 new cases of common diarrhoea and eight related deaths were recorded in just one week. Alarmingly, more than half of the patients - approximately 5,608 cases (58%) - were children below the age of five, underscoring the severe impact of the outbreak on the nation's youngest citizens.

The hardest-hit provinces were Mashonaland West and Mashonaland Central, which together accounted for more than 3,000 cases. Mashonaland West reported the highest number with 1,751 cases, followed by Mashonaland Central with 1,390.

Since the beginning of the year, Zimbabwe has recorded a cumulative total of 227,237 diarrhoea cases and 137 deaths, the Ministry said. Health officials attributed the continued rise in infections to poor sanitation, limited access to clean water, and unhygienic food handling practices - particularly in rural and peri-urban areas.

"Common diarrhoea can be caused by viral or bacterial infections, as well as by consuming contaminated food or water," the Ministry said in a statement. Citizens were urged to maintain proper hygiene, treat or boil drinking water, and seek prompt medical attention when symptoms appear.

The Ministry also highlighted the importance of keeping children hydrated during illness, warning that dehydration remains the most dangerous complication of diarrhoeal diseases.

Health experts have called for urgent interventions to improve access to safe water and sanitation facilities across the country, saying the outbreak reflects deeper public health and infrastructure challenges.