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Typhoid outbreak - Index of articles
CSOs demand action on typhoid
Zimbabwe Human
Rights Association (ZimRights)
August 09, 2012
A coalition
of more than twenty two civil society organizations yesterday petitioned
the coalition government of Zimbabwe through the relevant ministries
and local authorities to immediately set up effective strategies
to address the recurring problems of the outbreak
of the Typhoid fever and Cholera in Zimbabwe.
Speaking at
a press conference yesterday, Mr. Abel Chikomo of the NGO Forum
who was among the leading team hinted that the petition was set
to be delivered to the President's office, Prime Minister's
Office, the Finance Minister, Minister of local government rural
and urban development, Minister of water resources and development,
health and child welfare minister, mayors of the city of Harare
and Chitungwiza respectively. Adding weight to the petition were
1 798 residents' signatures motivated by the same cause.
Acknowledging
the ratio of appended signatures in proportion to the residents
of Harare and Chitungwiza, the CSOs highlighted they cannot continue
to wait for the targeted one million people when numbers of people
are losing their lives. Just in the past week alone, the petition
says at least two hundred cases of typhoid outbreak were recorded
in parts of Harare and Chitungwiza. It also says that "Bulawayo
has perennially had chronic water shortages.
To that end, the CSOs demanded an array of short term and long term
measures from the government which among them included:
- Engaging
in candid self-reflection of duty that has resulted in so many
deaths and untold suffering to the communities.
- Immediately
set up a commission to investigate the country wide recurrence
of these water-borne epidemics and recommend solutions that address
the problem.
- Come up with
a sustainable strategy that includes a clear plan for provision
of clean water and sanitation to all communities.
- Mobilizing
financial and technical resources domestically and through its
international funding and technical partners dedicated towards
sustainable and effective plan to eradicate these water borne
diseases.
- Set up clear
accountability structures in the event of future recurrences.
Visit the Zimbabwe
Human Rights Association (ZimRights) fact
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