The CholeraGreat men lead by example.The Chairperson of the Chiredzi Chamber of SMEs, Venancio Kurauone has stepped up the fight against Cholera by donating food hampers to the centres and equipment to clean up the most affected areas in town.
Cholera has ransacked the district with 200 new cases recorded this month, particularly near Mapanza and Mkwasine.
This week Kurauone offered his truck to help Chiredzi Town Council clean up the Banana Market which had heaps of rubbish and could easily have been a Cholera hotspot because of the favourable breeding conditions for the bacteria.
In the same month, he donated 30kg mealie meal, 6 litres of cooking oil and 6 litres of drink to aid the volunteers who are working at the site.
Speaking to this publication, Kurauone warned the public to be more cautious of the disease because it knows no man and boundaries. “Cholera is already affecting those around us so we should work together to solve this pandemic. Let’s all fulfil our social cooperate responsibility”, said Kurauone.
The Chiredzi Rural District Council Chairperson, Aspect Mashingaidze who is also the councillor for Ward 32, the Ward that is heavily contaminated bemoaned the lack of resources to fight the pandemic in his vast constituency.
“We are facing a big challenge as a district and one of the major concerns is the lack of resources because currently speaking we have one vehicle that has to travel to all stations that monitor such cases”, Mashingaidze said.
According to an emergency appeal drafted by the International Federation of Red Cross Society IFRC, communities have demonstrated a lack of knowledge regarding preventive alternatives for the disease and how to support affected individuals with oral rehydration therapy, resulting in the generalised stigmatisation of those affected.
Due to the high rate of transmission, the disease is now affecting people across multiple geographical areas.
The outbreak has now spread to more than the 17 traditional cholera hotspot districts, putting at risk over 10 million people, including more than five million children.
Cholera is not new to Zimbabwe. However, this outbreak is typical, having continued to persist from the dry season into the current rainy season, increasing the risk among communities.
The capacity of the Ministry of Health and Child Care has been stretched due to the high number of admissions, lack of human resources to manage the caseload, and lack of cholera supplies, including disinfection liquids to stop the transmission.
