Zimbabwe stands at high risk of imported cholera cases, and the country currently has 67 suspected and five confirmed cases of the disease, according to local health authorities.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care Cholera Situation Report of March 13 says the high human traffic across Zimbabwean borders and the nation’s position as a central transit route in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) means the risk of importation of cholera is very high.
Nearby Malawi is experiencing its worst cholera outbreak in two decades, with the World Health Organization recording 42,422 cases and 1,384 deaths as of 12 February 2023.
The Zimbabwean government is on high alert is encouraging people with symptoms to immediately report to their nearest health facility or call on the Ministry’s Public Health Emergency Operations Centre for assistance.
Zimbabwe suffered its worst cholera outbreak in 2008, which killed over 4,000 people from more than 90,000 cases – with most of the deaths being recorded in the capital Harare where water and sanitary systems in some of the major townships are in a sorry state of disrepair.
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