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Cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe
Doctors Without
Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
January 11, 2006
http://www.msf.org/msfinternational/invoke.cfm?
The outbreak appears
to be under control for now, but torrential rains have been pouring down
on Zimbabwe recently and could eventually worsen the situation. Containing
the disease is a priority; if it reaches larger rivers and spreads to
the lowlands the outbreak could be catastrophic.
MSF is combating a
cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe's eastern provinces of Manicaland and Mashonaland-East,
alongside the Ministry of Health (MoH). The first cases were recorded
early December and the disease started spreading to the east, moving downstream
along the Ruwenje River and the Murove River.
To date, 244 cases
and 11 deaths have been reported.
In Manicaland (Buhera
district), the MoH has set up three cholera treatment centres (CTC), with
support of MSF, on the grounds of clinics in Rambanapasi and Munyani,
and in the Mission Hospital in Murambinda.
The MSF team assures;
proper construction and lay-out of the CTC's; provides medical and logistic
supplies; strengthens the field teams with nurse aides and other support
staff; helps with transport of patients; and trains health workers involved
in fighting the outbreak.
They also organise
promotion activities for making the communities aware of the strict hygiene
measures needed for controlling the cholera outbreak, and have been installed
or repaired water systems in health facilities. A further CTC will be
opened in Chiwenga clinic.
The outbreak appears
to be under control for now, but torrential rains have been pouring down
on Zimbabwe recently and could eventually worsen the situation. Containing
the disease is a priority; if it reaches larger rivers and spreads to
the lowlands the outbreak could be catastrophic.
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