Limpopo river cholera warning
Nthambeleni Gabara
4 December 2008
Tests have confirmed that the eastern parts of the Limpopo river between South Africa and Zimbabwe have been contaminated with cholera bacteria.
Limpopo Department of Health spokesperson Phuthi Seloba told BuaNews on Wednesday that tests conducted on Monday had come out positive for the bacteria.
Cholera has so far claimed seven lives in South Africa, including that of a 64-year-old Zimbabwean man who died on Monday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the death toll from cholera in Zimbabwe has risen to 565, with 12 546 cases of the acute intestinal disease reported nationwide, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement that the capital, Harare, was the worst-affected area, with 177 deaths and 6 448 suspected cases - more than half the total number of cases nationwide.
Independent health analysts have criticised the Zimbabwean government for allegedly under-reporting the number of deaths. They estimate the disease could have killed as many 1 000 people to date.
"We are pleading with local residents and Zimbabweans who are crossing the border to seek medical treatment in our country to refrain from using water from the river," Seloba said.
The department has intensified its efforts to warn residents, individual farmers and workers about the spread of cholera in their areas.
"We want our people to understand the importance of washing their hands with soap after shaking hands, or when they come from the toilet," Seloba said. "We also want to urge those who are still using water from untested sources to boil the water or use bleach before using it."
Musina Municipality spokesperson Wilson Dzebu told BuaNews that they had tested their water twice a day and the results showed it was not contaminated.
"We are making sure that the water that we supply to our people is of the highest standards. Our water is user-friendly, drinkable and safe to use," Dzebu said, adding that they were purifying water from the Limpopo River at their treatment plant before distributing it to people.
The Musina hospital is continuously receiving more cholera patients from Zimbabwe who are coming into the country seeking treatment. Dehydration centres have been established to help in treating them.
Dzebu said the municipality, through a partnership with the Beitbridge District Rural Council of Zimbabwe, was assisting the neighbouring country in addressing the affects of a collapsed sewage system. Technical experts have been employed to help out.
"We are engaged in negotiations with the provincial and national governments to find ways on how to address the cholera situation as well as the foreign national situation," he said. "We have also set up a crisis task team comprising different stakeholders to look at the cholera and issues affecting Zimbabwe nationals."
Meanwhile, the North West Department of Health has placed all health facilities in the province on alert for a cholera outbreak, saying that there are communities in South Africa where there was a lack of clean water and proper sanitation, making them vulnerable to the disease.
Cholera is a disease that spreads faster in unhygienic conditions such as those currently found in Zimbabwe's cities, where sewers have broken down and garbage is piled up on the streets. A shortage of clean water means residents have to rely on unprotected shallow wells for water.
It is a preventable and treatable disease that causes vomiting and acute diarrhoea, and can rapidly lead to death from dehydration.
Generally, the disease is acquired by drinking water or ingesting food that is contaminated with cholera bacteria. Infected persons defecating into a water source or handling food with dirty hands also pose a major risk. Communities using untreated water for drinking or washing of eating utensils are particularly at risk.
The majority of people who become infected with cholera do not develop any symptoms but will have the bacteria in their faeces. Symptoms may occur from a few hours to five days after exposure. Diagnosis can be confirmed through laboratory tests.
Water can be purified by adding a teaspoon of household bleach to a 5-litre bottle of water or mixing one capful of household bleach with 20-25 litres of water and letting it stand for at least two hours (preferably overnight) before consumption.
Unicef on Tuesday announced a 120-day emergency response programme to assist Zimbabwe's children, who have had to bear the brunt of the country's deepening economic and humanitarian crisis.
The 120-day emergency response will see Unicef focus attention on providing basic social services and increasing health outreach services, providing nutritional supplements, boosting school attendance and scaling up access to safe water in the short term.
Acting Unicef representative to Zimbabwe Roeland Monasch said in a statement: "Women and children face immense risk in Zimbabwe. Schools and hospitals are closing, while teachers, nurses and doctors are not reporting for duty.
"It is Unicef's top priority to ensure that Zimbabwe's children get vital life-saving interventions at this critical time."
Source: BuaNews
