The Harare City Council has officially declared the end of the cholera outbreak in the capital as no new cases have been reported for the past 25 days. The outbreak, which began in February, resulted in 19 deaths and infected 3,880 individuals nationwide.
Harare City Council director of health services Dr Prosper Chonzi said:
Since last month, we have not recorded any admission at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals or Beatrice Infectious Diseases Hospital from the cholera hotspot areas.
We are glad to announce that the outbreak is now over in the city; the national recovery rate also currently stands at 98 percent. We have lost 19 people to cholera.
The council attributes the containment of the outbreak to improved water supplies, sanitation, hygiene practices, and other factors. Additionally, a mass vaccination program has been implemented to combat the disease.
However, Harare is currently facing a mumps outbreak, with nearly 100 cases reported, primarily in the northern suburbs. This outbreak has been linked to vaccine hesitancy, as some parents and guardians have been reluctant to have their children vaccinated during the mass inoculation campaigns conducted by health authorities. Added Dr Chonzi:
People in those areas no longer have confidence in vaccination programmes that are carried out at public health institutions, hence their children who have been infected were not vaccinated.
We do not accept such behaviour as it puts children at risk.
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Mumps, a viral infection affecting the parotid glands, can be easily prevented through vaccination. The Harare City Council emphasizes the importance of vaccination and expresses concern over the risks posed to unvaccinated children. The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMRV) is readily available at no cost in public clinics.