Harare — THE rise of Typhoid cases in Mabvuku from an initial four at the beginning of the month to 160 as of yesterday is worrisome particularly as memories of the cholera outbreak that killed an estimated 4 000 people in 2008/09 are still fresh in the minds of many.

Typhoid, just like cholera, is a water-borne disease that is transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with waste from an infected person.

Again, just like cholera it can be easily prevented by better sanitation and cleaner food handling.

And also as with cholera, there need not be any fatalities from typhoid infection since the infected can be saved by oral rehydration till they access antibiotics with the disease prevented by improved sanitation and hygiene.

Another plus is that typhoid does not affect animals and therefore transmission is only from man to man which makes it easier to contain once we all know what is required of us.

Since all that is required is ensuring that urine and/or faecal matter do not come into contact with food, all food must of necessity be carefully prepared with hands washed before food is handed.

These are very basic preventive measures that do not cost anything but whose import is invaluable.

This is why the increasing number of typhoid cases in Mabvuku is worrisome as it implies that people are not aware of how easy it is to contain typhoid or they are simply not practising good hygiene and sanitation.

Regrettably, five lives have already been lost to the disease, but then that was before it was known that there was an outbreak of typhoid, and now that it's known, there need not be anymore fatalities let alone new infections.

To this end, we hail the Harare City Council's decision to afford free medical treatment to all those infected and their order that all food handlers, from vendors to those in the hospitality industry undergo medical tests to ascertain whether they are free from Salmonella typhi, the typhoid pathogen.

The good thing about the typhoid outbreak is that it has been confined to Mabvuku, as there have been no reported cases in other parts of the city.

This development, in a way, makes the City fathers work easier as they have to focus efforts on only one area to ensure that their order is enforced.

All vendors and those dealing in food in Mabvuku should be compulsorily tested for typhoid, after which a provisional ban on vending, at least till the disease is eradicated, should be enforced.

More so at this critical juncture, it is vital that Mabvuku's water and sewer problems be attended to as a matter of urgency to reduce the likelihood of having sewer effluent come into contact with food.

Let us all, in our various spheres of activity, play our part to ensure that typhoid is kicked not only out of Mabvuku, but Zimbabwe as a whole.