Typhoid outbreak hits Zimbabwe’s capital Harare

Zimbabwe’s capital city Harare has been rocked by a Typhoid outbreak and authorities have deployed medical experts to determine the magnitude of the spread of the disease.

A report in Zimbabwe’s state-owned Herald newspaper on Wednesday said since last Friday health authorities in that country had confirmed three cases in Glen Norah, two in Hopley and one in Hatfield.

The newspaper quoted Harare City health Director Dr Prosper Chonzi as saying: “We have sent our teams to assess the situation in those areas, particulalry in Hopley, where there is strong suspicion that people could be sick at their homes. The teams will be interviewing and treating all suspected cases”.

At least 15 students were hospitalised at Silveira Mission High School hospital in Bikita on Monday following a suspected outbreak of Typhoid, but authorities said they were now out of danger.

In South Africa fresh cases of Typhoid were reported and indications were that at least one of the patients had recently travelled to Zimbabwe.

The Gauteng Department of Health said on Tuesday that two new cases of Typhoid fever had been reported at the Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital, in the Tshwane district.

“A 38-year-old Zimbabwean female patient, who resides in Centurion, presented in the said hospital on Thursday, 21 January 2016 with four days history of fever,” said the Gauteng Department of Health in a statement.

“She was said to be quite confused on arrival in the hospital. The patient, who was referred from Centurion Clinic, had travelled home to Zimbabwe two weeks ago and had just returned to South Africa.”

The department said another, 27-year-old Zimbabwean female patient, who has been staying in the country since 2012 sought treatment at the Dr George Mukhari Hospital last Wednesday – two days after her illness started.

“There was no fever, headache, vomiting nor diarrhoea. Blood tests were also carried out on the same day of her admission. She was confirmed to be Typhoid positive on Monday, the 25 January 2016. She is also on antibiotics,” the department said.

However, the hospitalised woman who resides in Soshanguve, Tshwane, last visited Zimbabwe in February last year.

“It should be noted that there are no epidemiological linkages (geographical proximity) between all the seven cases that have been identified so far,” the health department said.

Provincial Health Spokesperson Steve Mabona said the department had deployed an Outbreak Task Team in Tshwane to trace the origin of the disease.

“The team will meet with family members of the patients and make some tests. The patients are currently being treated,” said Mabona.

The new cases follow after a 27-year-old Malawian woman was diagnosed with the disease at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital. The woman died on January 17.

Gauteng Department of Health MEC Qedani Dorothy Mahlangu said two children, who had been admitted to Edenvale District Hospital after being diagnosed with the disease were recovering.

“The 16-year-old currently on admission at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital is also doing remarkably well and is said to be in a quite stable condition,” said Mahlangu.

The department said it was monitoring affected areas in Hillbrow, Yeoville, Edenvale and Palm Spring.

Dr Karen Keddy Chief Pathologist at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) said Typhoid fever was not unusual during this period because people were returning from their travels.

– African News Agency (ANA)