51 people die of diarrhoea

At least 51 people have died of diarrhoea in week 13 and 14 of this year bringing the cumulative deaths from diarrhoea to 258, the Ministry of Health and Child Care's (Mohcc) weekly report on epidemiology and prone diseases has revealed.

Of this total, 16 deaths and 10 563 reported cases were of children under the age of five.

According to the report, the provinces which recorded the highest number of cases were Manicaland and Mashonaland East province.

In week 13, Manicaland recorded 2 013 cases and 1 792 in week 14 while Mashonaland east recorded 1 710 and 1 514 cases respectively.

Mashonaland East Provincial Medical director (Pmd), Simukai Zizhou, recently said the burden was high in their province because of unavailability of clean and potable water for consumption and household purposes, adding that alluvial gold panning was fuelling the infection rate.

"Most of the families in this province rely on water from unprotected shallow wells and from rivers," Zizhou said.

"There is also rampant gold panning activities and most people spend their time in the bush which they have also turned into their toilets. This means the water they consume is highly compromised."

The director of Epidemiology and disease control in Mohcc, Portia Manangazira said there is still a long way to go for the nation to start getting clean and safe water.

"Safe and clean drinking water and sanitation is a human right essential to the full enjoyment of life and all other human rights but more than 50% in the rural area has no access to this right," Manangazira said.

"The same scenario prevails in the urban areas where 90% of the population relies on less than 30 litres of water for drinking, cooking and bathing per day. The situation in urban areas is fuelled by poor sewer system which still flows in open and residential areas".

Late last year, a researcher and water expert Christopher Magadza told journalists during a wetlands media tour that Harare, due to loss of wetlands, is being supplied with water containing 50 % recycled urine which is not healthy.

Meanwhile, the total water- borne-related deaths caused by malaria, diarrhoea, dysentery and typhoid now stands at 517.

However, the ministry of Health is optimistic these cases will decline following the introduction of rotavirus vaccine which is already in the country.