Harare — Concerns over a recurrence of the 2008 outbreak that prompted a "national emergency" led Zimbabwe's government to announce measures in an attempt to contain the current cholera outbreak, Al Jazeera reports.
All ten of Zimbabwe's provinces reported cases of cholera, with the most concerning increases occurring in Masvingo and Manicaland, provinces in the southeast. According to official estimates, since February, there were over 100 deaths and 5,000 cases of cholera. In order to stop the spread, the government put limits in place in high-risk locations. For example, funerals are only allowed to have 50 people, and attendees are not allowed to shake hands or provide food during the events.
Additionally, authorities are advising against going to unauthorized vendors' stands, open-air marketplaces, or outdoor church camps where there is little to no hygiene.
Zimbabwe's inadequate sanitation system and scarcity of clean water contribute to the rapid spread of cholera, a disease contracted through consuming contaminated food or water. Many Zimbabweans are forced to draw from dangerous wells or rivers since they may go months without access to tap water, especially in isolated settlements. Mounds of trash and raw sewage seeping from broken pipes raise the possibility of the disease spreading.
Zimbabweans say that as it has become more difficult for them to get clean water or resources for water purification, their chance of contracting the disease has increased. Some locals bemoaned the decline of safe boreholes, that provide water to about 38% of the population.
In response to criticism of Zimbabwe's inadequate infrastructure, President Emmerson Mnangagwa pledged to drill additional boreholes in each of the 35,000 villages over the next year. The current cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe is the biggest since 2008, when the government declared a "national emergency" due to an outbreak that claimed almost 4,000 lives nationwide.
Other neighbouring southern African states, such as Malawi, South Africa, and Mozambique, also frequently experience cholera outbreaks.
Severe weather conditions such as floods, cyclones, and droughts also makes it harder to get clean water and foster the perfect conditions for cholera to spread. Cholera cases were reported in 44 countries in 2022, up from 35 countries in 2021 (a 25% rise). 2023 sees this tendency continuing, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The climate crisis in Africa will continue having devastating consequences until action is taken to mitigate the loss of life and damage to infrastructure. It is also impacting areas such as health and is resulting in various outbreaks, including the spread of cholera.
