Harare — Five people have died from cholera at two different locations in Zimbabwe, and 30 other people are undergoing treatment for the waterborne disease, raising the spectre of another epidemic.

The permanent secretary for health, Gerald Gwinji, told the state-run newspaper, The Herald, on 20 October that three people had died from cholera in Mashonaland West Province, in the northeast of the country, while two other deaths were recorded in Midlands Province, in central Zimbabwe.

Gwinji attributed the deaths in Gokwe North, Midlands, to "religious objectors who for a long time have been reluctant to seek medical attention. We are still trying to come up with ways of addressing this special group."

A cholera outbreak that began in August 2008 and lasted for a year before it was officially declared at an end in July 2009 caused the deaths of more than 4,000 people and infected nearly 100,000 others.

The cause of this epidemic was dilapidated and broken sanitation and water infrastructure, much of which is still in the same state as a year ago, so the coming rainy season is likely to facilitate the spread of the disease.

"We have received confirmation of the cholera cases from the government and this poses a new challenge, in the sense that there is need to educate and sensitise some communities which are resisting prevention and medication for cholera," said Tsitsi Singizi, a spokesperson for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

"Our education teams are already out in full force, and we hope that this time the effect of cholera will not be as it was last time," she commented.

Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, the minister for water resources development and management, told IRIN that repairing the water and sanitation infrastructure in the capital, Harare, was the main priority, as this had been the epicentre of the previous cholera outbreak.

Depressed state of affairs

"I am currently touring water sources throughout the country to establish the state of collapse and dilapidation, and what I have seen so far is very depressing," he said.

In some parts of the country, some settlements have stopped using some dams because too much raw sewage was discharged into them

"In some parts of the country, some settlements have stopped using some dams because too much raw sewage was discharged into them. We want to ensure that if Harare is rehabilitated we will not have other potential sources of cholera outbreaks."

Dams are the usual source of water for drinking and household use in towns as well as rural areas, but when many of these became too polluted, people resorted to digging shallow wells to obtain water. Pit latrines were often dug too near the wells, which became contaminated and not only helped spread cholera, but also made the disease difficult to combat.

The chairperson of the Combined Harare Residents Association, Simbarashe Moyo, told IRIN there was concern over the slow pace of infrastructure repairs, but acknowledged that "After many years of neglecting our water and sewer infrastructure by many administrators, it is only fair to acknowledge the good work that the current administration at the municipality is doing."

However, Mluleki Dube, who lives in Ashdown Park, a middle-class suburb in Harare, told IRIN that the area had been without water for the past 10 days. "The sanitation situation ... is a ticking health time bomb because some residents now resort to using secluded areas to relieve themselves, while others have sunk shallow and unprotected wells to provide water."

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ]