City of Harare has closed some boreholes that were found with contaminated water, following a typhoid outbreak, 263Chat has learnt.
According to Harare City Health director, Dr. Prosper Chonzi, the capital has recorded 61 confirmed cases mainly in Budiriro, Glen View, and Glen Norah surbubs.
“We have witnessed a gradual number of typhoid cases in the Western suburbs of Harare, with 61 confirmed cases mainly below the four years age group with main drivers being lack of clean water and sewer bursts,” said Dr Chonzi.
The City of Harare Epidemiologist and Disease Control Officer Dr Michael Vere said the municipality had done water monitoring in the affected areas and closed some boreholes that were found contaminated with fecal matter.
“We are encouraging on-point treatment of drinking water. So, we have distributed aqua tabs at various clinics in those areas and throughout the high-density suburbs of Budiriro and Glen View which we know are risky areas for typhoid.
“We are also strengthening health promotion activities in those areas so that people are aware of the methods to protect themselves from diarrhoea diseases,” he said.
Residents in the affected areas have attributed the continuous diarrhoea outbreaks in Harare to poor service delivery by the local authority.
Since last year, the government has been conducting typhoid vaccination campaigns targeting children between the ages of 9 months to 15 years with the vaccine now incorporated in routine immunization to protect children from diarrhoea disease.
