Diarrhea Outbreak Claims Lives of 7 Children in Zimbabwe

Seven children died in Zimbabwe following a diarrhea outbreak, a state newspaper said Sunday.

"The main problem has always been unclean water and poor sanitation," the newspaper quoted Portia Manangazira, director for disease control in the health ministry, as saying.

About Water Borne Diseases
Waterborne diseases are communicable diseases caused by diseases causing microorganisms in contaminated water. It is more prevalent during floods and in tsunami affected areas.

"Our main concern is that in most instances 60 percent of these cases are children under the age of five years."

She called on municipalities to ensure constant supplies of clean water and proper disposal of garbage.

Diarrhea thrives in areas that do not have proper sanitation. Proper sewage systems and clean water can prevent its outbreak.

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Municipalities in Zimbabwe are battling to supply residents with water with some suburbs going for weeks without running water.

Over 85,000 cases of cholera were diagnosed in West and central Africa this year, leading to 2,466 deaths, as the region faces the worst cholera epidemics in its history, UNICEF said this week.

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Three years ago over 4,000 people died of cholera in Zimbabwe in an outbreak which affected nearly 100,000 people.

According to UNICEF, diarrhea is responsible for 7.7 percent of deaths in Africa.

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Child diarrhea deaths could be almost halved if already available interventions such as breastfeeding, hand washing with soap, and improved household water treatment were widely implemented.

Source-AFP