Thupeyo Muleya — The screening of travellers at Beitbridge Border Post has been intensified following the death of one person due to cholera in South Africa.
Internally, Zimbabwe recently confirmed two cholera cases in Chegutu, Mashonaland West Province, but the people were treated and fully recovered.
Beitbridge Border, one of the busiest land ports in SADC, clears a daily average of 12 000 travellers, hence the need to be on the lookout for cholera cases, which has also been confirmed in Mozambique and Malawi.
Dr Lenos Samhere, the Beitbridge District Medical Officer, said in addition to Covid-19, they had started screening people for diarrheal and cholera-related ailments.
He said their port health team was raising awareness about the disease among travellers.
Cholera spreads mainly through contaminated or polluted water.
Drinking contaminated water directly or consuming water indirectly through food, spreads the disease.
Symptoms include diarrhoea, dehydration, vomiting, and body weakness. Those who experience symptoms must visit their nearest health facility for screening and testing.
Said Dr Samhere: "At the point of entry at Beitbridge Border Post, our Port Health Department is raising awareness to travellers concerning the cholera outbreak which is ongoing.
"In addition to that, they are screening those who will be having signs and symptoms of diarrheal diseases who are then referred to the district hospital for proper management and diagnosis.
"We are not only alert at the point of entry, inland we are also raising our alert levels. So far we managed to pick up two suspected cases who fortunately tested negative using the bacterial culture tests."
Dr Samhere said all staff members had been put on high alert and they were screening all diarrheal cases.
He said they were anticipating an increase in diarrhoea-related cases, which are prevalent during the rainy season.
Damages to key infrastructure such as toilets and boreholes by heavy rains in the last few weeks in some Southern African countries, also creates a fertile ground for a rise in cholera cases.
Dr Samhere said they were educating communities about cholera through their rural healthcare facilities and the clinic around the border town.
"We want people to be aware of the current public health situation and the measures they can take to ensure that they do not contract the disease," he said.
"Some of the measures include hand washing and always washing fruits and vegetables before eating them."
People have also been advised to quickly seek medical attention whenever they have a diarrheal infection, which they suspect to be cholera.
In some instances, Dr Samhere said, communities should practice basic treatment responses such as rehydrating once they start having diarrhoea.
South Africa's Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, last Thursday said they had one confirmed cholera death of a 24-year-old man who lived in Wattville, Benoni, in Ekurhuleni.
He said the man, who had no prior local or international travel history, had been admitted to Tambo Memorial Hospital, with profuse watery diarrhoea, but died a few days later.
The man was South Africa's fifth confirmed cholera case and one of his contacts is still hospitalised.
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In Malawi, 36 943 cases were confirmed, with 1 210 succumbing to the disease from all 29 districts of Malawi since March 3 last year.
In Mozambique, a cholera outbreak has been growing since December 2022, and has spread to new districts.
The first case of cholera was reported from Lago district in Niassa Province on September 14, 2022, and as of February 19 this year, 5 237 suspected cases and 37 deaths have been reported in 29 districts from six out of 11 provinces in Mozambique.
Meanwhile, Dr Samhere said also nothing had changed in terms of Covid-19 screening at the port of entry, and urged people not to relax but continue observing the standard Covid-19 control protocols such as hand washing, use of sanitisers, maintaining social distance and wearing masks in crowded spaces.
"In addition, we continue giving people vaccines, especially those eligible and are willing," he said.
