28 Août 2009

Aid groups in Zimbabwe have said they will remain on high alert over potential cholera outbreaks, despite a false alarm about cholera near Chipinge last weekend. A dozen people in the Chibuwe district near Chipinge received urgent medical care last weekend after displaying symptoms similar to those associated with cholera, which last year spread through Zimbabwe leaving more than 4000 deaths in its wake. But this week, medical officials confirmed that the 'outbreak' was likely the result of food poisoning, with medical tests proving negative for the water-borne bacteria. A report by the World Health Organisation representative in Zimbabwe, Custodia Mandlhate, detailed that samples taken from five of the cases tested negative for cholera. The cause of the illness, which caused the patients to suffer from severe diarrhea, was suspected as "severe food poisoning, as a number of the patients reported attending local beer parties prior to developing symptoms," Mandlhate noted. Investigations into the cause of the illness are still ongoing, and with aid officials warning that another cholera outbreak is 'inevitable', medical groups are remaining vigilant. Officials from the UN have said the threat of cholera returning must not be overlooked, because the country's basic infrastructure, including water reticulation systems, has remained in a dire state of disrepair. Medical charity Doctors Without Borders has also warned that the root causes of last year's cholera outbreak have not been adequately addressed. The charity's head of mission in Zimbabwe, Rian van de Braak, said with the rainy season fast approaching, "everyone expects cholera to be back." "Dealing with the causes of cholera before the next rainy season will be a race against the clock," said van de Braak. "Nobody knows how big the next outbreak will be, but we are ready to respond immediately." Van de Braak continued that medical teams were prepared for a 'worst case scenario', but explained the country should be better able to combat the disease, compared to last year. She explained that medical supplies are being stockpiled to fight the disease, should it start spreading once again. She added that education efforts have also proved successful in remote areas, with more people likely to be aware of how cholera spreads and how it should be treated, than compared to last year.