Zimbabwe Cholera Outbreak 2023.
The persisting and recurrent outbreaks of cholera gives a poor reflection of the health and development status of the country.
Water and sanitation are essential for good health outcomes and sustainable development.
Inadequate access to water and sanitation infrastructure is a major source of health challenges and disease outbreaks such as cholera.
Poor and Inadequate water and sanitation is a leading cause of poverty, morbidity and mortality in a number of countries, while providing water and sanitation in schools is key to keeping girls and children in school.
The reduced availability of safe drinking water impacts negatively particularly on girls as they are forced to walk long distances to fetch water in some cases from unprotected sources often affecting their ability to go to school.
A cholera outbreak in late 2008 reflected this decline in living conditions and affected around 100,000 people.
Interruption of water supplies, overcrowding of sanitation facilities and difficulties with urban waterborne sanitation during periods of water cuts means that urban households are very vulnerable to unhealthy environments.
Urban Local Authorities are currently facing a range of problems that are limiting the daily supply of water such as the shortages of water chemicals as household rates are currently being charged in local currency whilst payment of water chemicals to suppliers is done in US Dollars.
The aging and unrepaired sewer systems; waste put in sewers due to poor waste collection; illegal waste dumps; overflowing septic tanks; and frequent water and power cuts.
Most sewerage reticulation systems and treatment works are in a state of disrepair, raising the risk of diarrhoeal diseases including cholera.
I hope this will assist
Itai Rusike, Executive Director, Community Working Group on Health (CWGH)