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People with disabilities more vulnerable to the cholera epidemic
National Association of Societies for the Care of the Handicapped (NASCOH)
February 06, 2009

While statistics of people with disabilities who have succumbed to the cholera pandemic in Zimbabwe are hard to come by, there is, however, no doubt that this marginalised and underserved population which, paradoxically, continues to fall through the cracks of social intervention measures, is the most vulnerable to the deadly disease, which has reportedly claimed the lives of over 3000 Zimbabweans and afflicted over 60 000.

Because of the age-old association between poverty and disability, most people with disabilities are more likely to live in unsafe environments where the cholera bacteria thrives; they are less likely to access crucial medical treatment for the disease because of reasons to do with lack of mobility and finance; those with upper limb disorders might experience real problems in performing seemingly simple tasks of boiling, filtering and chlorination of water which kills the bacteria, thereby halting transmission; warnings about cholera contamination, including any such warnings that could be posted around contaminated water sources and directions on how to decontaminate the water, will have no effect on visually impaired people, who cannot read them.

In addition, due to an inability to understand sign language, the majority of Zimbabweans shy away from communicating with people with hearing impairments, thus depriving them of much-needed information on the management of the life-threatening disease, whose prevention is however simple if proper sanitation practices are followed.

Following these sanitation practices, however, can prove to be a veritable hurdle for certain categories of disabilities. For instance, there is need for proper disposal and treatment of the germ infected focal waste produced by cholera victims including any clothing and bedding that come in contact with it. While it is necessary that all materials that come in contact with cholera patients be sterilised using hot water or bleaching if possible, people with limited mobility, such as those in wheelchairs, would not be able to attend to such tasks. Nor would those with upper limb impairments be able to thoroughly clean and sterilise their hands after touching a cholera patient or bedding or clothing that would have been contaminated with cholera.

Michael Muza, a visually impaired rehabilitation technician at Ruwa National Rehabilitation Hospital says that lack of information continues to militate against the inclusion of people with visual impairments in crucial intervention programmes: 'Information still remains an issue of real concern for people with visual impairments even when it comes to the cholera epidemic. Information on the disease is not available to us in disability-friendly formats like Braille and big print. We do not even know the numbers of people with disabilities who have died from the disease and this prevents the public from assessing the real situation concerning cholera and people with disabilities,' he said.

In addition, the comas or seizures resulting from hypoglycaemia and fluid loss, and the effects of such symptoms as abdominal cramps, leg cramps, and incessant vomiting, there is a risk of compounding disability where it is already present or even acquiring a disability in the process.

While current efforts by the local and international community to combat the pandemic are laudable, there is need for society, including government, civil society, non governmental organisations, external partners and the general public, to go the extra mile to ensure the complete inclusion of people with disabilities in vital social intervention measures, and in a way that is accommodating of their difference.

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