By Shamiso Dzingire
The government is still on high alert over cholera, despite having reported no new cases since December last year, the Daily News can report.
Cholera first broke out in Harare’s high density suburb of Glen View last September prompting the government to declare a state of emergency in the capital.
Since the outbreak was confirmed, more than 45 people have died and over 10 000 sought treatment at the various centres set up.
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) yesterday said no new cholera cases have been reported since December.
“Since December 2018, there have been zero new cholera cases in Zimbabwe,” Unicef Zimbabwe revealed after Sweden’s ambassador to Zimbabwe Sofia Calltorp visited cholera-risk households in Glen View where they distributed educational materials and non-food items including soap, buckets, aqua tabs.
Calltorp also visited a Child Friendly Space at the Glen View Community Centre, where children affected by cholera, and their caregivers receive psycho-social attention.
Despite the achievements on the fight against the waterborne disease, government is still on high alert, with the state of emergency still in place.
In the government gazette published last Friday, Local Government minister July Moyo said due to the intermittent outbreaks of cholera in Harare and other areas, a state of disaster still exists.
“…The president has, in terms of section 27 (1) of the Civil Protection Act [Chapter 10:06], declared that because of the public emergency occasioned by the intermittent outbreaks of cholera in Harare metropolitan province and other areas that may be affected, a state of disaster exists with effect from September 12, 2018,” Moyo said. DailyNews
