The Harare City Council has conceded that the removal of street vendors has been a failure.
The Government recently ordered the local authority to remove vendors from the streets in the Central Business District to curb the spread of cholera which has since been detected in almost all districts in the country.
On Wednesday, several senior Government officials met with the media to give an update on the state of water, sanitation, hygiene and current cholera outbreak control in Zimbabwe.
Speaking at the meeting, City of Harare health services department director Dr Prosper Chonzi said (<a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/we-have-failed-to-remove-vendors-harare-city-council/">via Chronicle</a>):
<blockquote>
An order was made for us to remove all the food vendors in Harare to ensure that our streets are clean. But as you have seen we haven’t done very well there.
The general economy is playing against us. We have been playing hide and seek after vendors and it isn’t working.
We are glad now that the Government has come up with Chenesa Harare, and if we clean up for now then we come up with medium and long-term plans to maintain the clean environment that’s there.
As the Director of Health in the City, I’m not happy with the vending situation in the city, it’s plain against what we are trying to achieve and contain the outbreak. And trying to enforce not giving us the intended results.
</blockquote>
Chonzi said there must be a change of mindset and residents should know that they risk contracting diseases by buying food from uninspected places.
As of 24 January 2024, Zimbabwe had 20 446 suspected Cholera cases, 2 324 confirmed cases, 19 711 recoveries, 71 confirmed deaths and 381 suspected deaths.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

Harare City Council Concedes Failure To Remove Street Vendors

The Harare City Council (HCC) has announced a state of emergency due to the increasing spread of cholera in the city. The Mayor, Councillor Ian Makone, and the City Director of Health, Dr Prosper Chonzi, recently held meetings with residents’ associations to address the situation.
During the meetings, Dr Chonzi stressed the importance of collaboration between residents and the City in order to effectively combat and control the disease. Said the local government authority:
<blockquote>
So far we have 1000 suspected cases in Harare and 100 confirmed cases. Unfortunately, 10 people have succumbed to the disease and there is a need for the residents to be very alert. As council we are treating this as an emergency and every department is working 24/7 to fight the disease.
</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/2023/11/16/zimbabwean-minister-asks-churches-to-pray-for-the-cholera-outbreak-to-end/">Zimbabwe is currently grappling with a cholera outbreak</a>, and the lack of clean water and poor sanitation are identified as major factors contributing to the spread of the disease. Harare, the capital city, has been heavily impacted, with certain suburbs experiencing long-term water shortages. However, some progress has been made in restoring water supplies to certain areas. Suburbs like Budiriro, Glen Norah, Glen View, Kuwadzana, and Rydle Ridge have had their water supplies restored, but other areas, including Tynwald, Bloomingdale, Bluff Hill, Dzivaresekwa, Hatcliffe, Borrowdale, Mt. Pleasant, and Hogerty Hill, continue to face water shortages.
The southern suburbs, supplied by Prince Edward, have access to water, including areas like Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, Cranborne, Hatfield, parts of Chitungwiza, Mbare, Sunningdale, and Graniteside, according to Harare City Council. The central business district and its surrounding areas also have access to water. However, the eastern suburbs, such as Greendale, Mandara, Mabvuku, Tafara, Zimre Park, and Epworth, are severely affected due to reduced production levels and erratic power supply at the Letombo pump station. Power supply disruptions are also impacting water supplies to the north-eastern suburbs.
Harare residents need 800 million litres (megalitres) of water per day. Unfortunately, the city’s current water capacity is only around 494 megalitres. Water controls transmit as follows: Morton Jaffray to Warren Control (144 megalitres), from Morton Jaffray to Lochinvar/Marimba reservoirs (91 megalitres), from Morton Jaffray to Norton (61.94 megalitres), from Warren Control to Alexandra Park (120 megalitres), from Warren Control to Letombo (22 megalitres), from Prince Edward to Letombo (40.252 megalitres), and from Prince Edward to Chitungwiza (13.748 megalitres). However, due to leaks and pipe bursts in the water distribution system, some of the water gets lost before it reaches its intended destination.
<h3><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h3>

Harare Announces A State Of Emergency As Cholera Spreads In The City

The Zimbabwean government has banned large gatherings in parts of the country and increased surveillance at ports of entry in an effort to contain a rise in cholera cases.
With 100 suspected deaths, most of them in September, and nearly 5,000 possible cases of the water-borne disease in more than 41 districts, including Harare, authorities fear a repeat of the 2008 epidemic where 4,000 people died. The government public health adviser Agnes Mahomva said last week:
<blockquote>
 We are concerned that there is an outbreak. We need to step up our action. We continue to encourage the public to watch out and follow procedures to maintain their hygiene.
</blockquote>
As of last week, the province of Manicaland had the highest number of cholera cases in Zimbabwe, with over 1,000 reported. The government has increased surveillance at ports of entry to detect imported infections. Places like Bikita and Buhera have been declared high-risk zones, with restrictions on large gatherings and funerals.
The public has been advised to avoid open markets, social gatherings, and outdoor church camps without proper sanitation. Zimbabwe’s water shortages and poor sanitation contribute to cholera outbreaks, as people resort to unsafe water sources. In Chitungwiza, the stench of sewage raises health concerns, and the situation is similar in other areas like Harare and Bulawayo.
Residents in Harare told the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/oct/12/zimbabwe-bans-large-gatherings-as-threat-of-cholera-outbreak-grows">Guardian</a> that they are frustrated with recurring issues of sewage bursts, which pose health risks to their families. The sewage problem has persisted for a long time, and people are concerned about their children falling ill. Budiriro and Glen View townships are designated as high-risk areas due to the cholera outbreak.
According to Prosper Chonzi, the health director of Harare city council, there has been an increase in suspected cases, mostly related to diarrhoea, in the western suburbs. Only one death has been reported. Chonzi acknowledged that the water quality in Harare is poor, and contaminated with fecal matter and other substances. He emphasized the need to address these issues to prevent future cholera outbreaks in the city.
Minister of Health Dr Douglas Mombeshora led a delegation on Saturday to investigate a cholera outbreak in Buhera District. They visited Murambinda Hospital, Mudanda Clinic, and Betera Clinic. They established that the outbreak was caused by inadequate sanitation and unhealthy habits. To prevent further cases, the Ministry of Health and Child Care plans to drill eight boreholes in the affected areas. They will also collaborate with religious leaders to promote seeking medical care among their congregations. The delegation included representatives from the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, MSF, Mercy Corps, Zimbabwe Red Cross, and World Vision Zimbabwe, among others.
<h3><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h3>

Zimbabwe Bans Large Gatherings In Some Areas To Contain Cholera Cases

Harare City’s Director of Health Services, Dr. Prosper Chonzi, has officially declared an outbreak of Mumps (Mahumunya) in the capital. The outbreak has been observed for the past two weeks. The city has issued an alert, urging parents to closely monitor their children and bring them to city health clinics if any symptoms are noticed.
In a notice addressed to community members, residents’ associations, stakeholders, and partners, Dr. Chonzi requests their assistance in spreading the message and mobilizing affected individuals to visit council health centres. The signs of Mumps include fever, swelling of salivary glands, pain while chewing or swallowing, general body weakness, and swelling of testicles in boys. Contact details for further inquiries are provided. The letter concludes with the City of Harare’s vision to achieve a world-class city status by 2025. Chonzi said:
<blockquote>
<h3>RE: MUMPS ALERT</h3>
I refer to the above.
Harare Metropolitan Province has reported Mumps (Mahumunya) cases in our health centres and community (schools). We, therefore, request through your wider networks to communicate with parents and guardians referencing this letter to mobilise them to bring forward all children and adults who got infected or are currently infected with mumps to visit their council health centres and cite this letter to their health care providers.
<h4>Signs of Mumps (Mahumunya)</h4>
1. Fever and swelling of salivary glands (areas on cheeks. under cheeks and below cheeks) lasting more than 2 days without apparent cause.
<h4>Other signs and symptoms </h4>
i. Pain on chewing or swallowing 
ii. General body weakness 
iii. Loss of appetite
 iv. Swelling of testicles for boys.
For further clarification or details please contact the undersigned Health Services Director or Dr. M. Vere (Epidemiologist) 0788 841 542 or Mr. I. P. Makwara (Principal Health Promotion Officer) 0775 633 472 or Matron P. Chitando (Nurse Manager) on 0772 335 839. 
</blockquote>
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Harare City Issues Mumps (Mahumunya) Alert

A diarrhoea outbreak has hit Harare, with more than 1 100 cases recorded between October 24 and November 20 2022.
In an interview with <a href="https://www.sundaymail.co.zw/diarrhoea-outbreak-hits-harare">The Sunday Mail</a>, Harare City Council director of health services Dr Prosper Chonzi said that most cases are being recorded in high-density suburbs. Said Chonzi:
<blockquote>
We are recording about 250 to 270 cases of diarrhoea per week.
From October 24 to November 20, we recorded 1 115 cases. Cases of typhoid are still low, as we are recording between five and six cases every week.
These cases are mainly in high-density suburbs, where there is inadequate running water, no refuse collection and sewage bursts.
Currently, we are testing any suspected case of diarrhoea at all our clinics and we are offering treatment free of charge.
We have activated our rapid response team; we are very alert and we have initiated contact tracing on suspected cases.
</blockquote>
Chonzi said the City of Harare is working hard to avoid a cholera outbreak as happened in 2008 when more than 2 000 people were killed by the disease mainly in Glen View and Budiriro. He said:
<blockquote>
In hospitals and clinics that are treating diarrhoea, we have stockpiled requisite medicines and sundries.
We have also secured drips (intravenous fluid) and mobilised a number of environmental officers and community health workers so that they start home visits to see if there are no reported cases.
We are trying, by all means, to manage this because we do not want history to repeat itself like what happened in 2008.
</blockquote>
Chonzi said currently, no patients have been admitted to the hospital for treatment.

Diarrhoea Outbreak Hits Harare, Over 1 000 Cases Recorded

Harare City Council director for health services Dr Prosper Chonzi has claimed that medical caregivers at Wilkins Hospital did all they could to save the life of Zororo Makamba who succumbed to coronavirus on Monday.
Dr Chonzi added that before admitting Zororo into the isolation facility, Wilkins took oxygen tanks to the deceased’s house twice, against standard procedure, which was administered per mask.
The Herald asked Chonzi why Makamba was put in an ordinary ward with no adequate facilities to take care of his condition and he responded saying that at the time Makamba was admitted, the wing which was previously reserved for coronavirus cases was undergoing renovations and the hospital had to improvise. He added:
<blockquote>
Not all Covid-19 patients require ventilators, a majority will recover without them. It is unfortunate, we started with one of the worse cases which required a ventilator.
</blockquote>
There are reports suggesting that all referral and private hospitals in the city had refused to take in Makamba for intensive care, which could have seen him put on a ventilator.
Makamba family is accusing the hospital of not doing enough to save the life of the 30-year-old journalist.
More: <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/doctor-speaks-on-zororos-death/">The Herald</a>

Harare Doctor Speaks On Zororo Makamba's Death

The upgrading of the Harare City Council-run <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Wilkins_Hospital" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wilkins Infectious Diseases Hospital</a> has begun after China made a commitment to assist Zimbabwe in its response to COVID-19.
City health director Dr Prosper Chonzi revealed that workers are working round the clock and the project is expected to be completed in 10 days. He said:
<blockquote>The hospital is very critical and important to everyone in the country especially now that there is Covid-19 outbreak.
The upgrading of Wilkins Hospital by China has begun, the workers started over the weekend and are working 24 hours.
The Chinese want the hospital to be complete in 10 days, they are only getting disturbances when we admit a patient at the hospital otherwise they are working nonstop. We are hoping that by Monday everything will be done.</blockquote>
Chonzi added that the upgrading of the isolation facility will help a lot and improve the country’s preparedness and provide a safe working environment for health staff.
The country has not yet recorded any case of coronavirus, but previously isolated 14 suspected cases at Wilkins Hospital for tests.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/wilkins-facelift-begins/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Herald</a></h4>

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