Dar es Salaam cholera death toll rises to four

[Dotto Mnzava]

The Ministry of Health has informed us of a Cholera Outbreak in Dar es Salaam in Kinondoni District since Saturday 15th August, 2015.

The total number of suspected cases since 15th to 17th August, 2015 is 24. Out of 6 that had rectal swabs tested, 4 tested positive for Vibrio cholera. One patient died while admitted at Mwananyamala.

The patients are residents of Tandale, Kijitonyama, Saranga, Kimara and Manzese, Makumbusho and Mwananyamala.

A team of outbreak investigators from MOHSW is heading to Kinondoni to work with the Regional and District teams on setting up the outbreak investigation and control measures.

Basic precautions for prevention of cholera:

• Thorough washing of hands, especially before food preparation and eating.
• Drink only bottled water or water that has been boiled or disinfected with chlorine, iodine or other suitable products.
• Eat food that has been thoroughly cooked and is still hot when served.
• Be sure that meals bought from street vendors are thoroughly cooked in your presence and do not contain any uncooked foods.

Regards
Dr. Rufaro R. Chatora
WHO Representative
WHO Country Office
Luthuli Rd, Opposite - Karimjee Hall
P. O. Box 9292, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
GPN: 37412
SW: +255 22 2113005
Fax: +255 22 2113180
E.Mail: chatorar@who.int

KEY FACTS ABOUT CHOLERA

· Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection cause by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera.

1. Children as well as adults can get infected.
   
2. Among people who develop symptoms, 80% have mild or moderate symptoms, while around 20% develop acute watery diarrhea and vomiting with severe dehydration. This can lead to death if untreated.
3. Cholera transmission is closely linked to inadequate environmental management. Typical at-risk areas include peri-urban slums, camps for internally displaced people or refugees, where minimum requirements of clean water and sanitation are not met.
4. Common sources of foodborne infection include raw or poorly cooked seafood, raw fruit and vegetables, and other food contaminated during preparation or storage.
5. Cholera is an easily treatable disease. Up to 80% of people can be treated successfully through prompt administration of oral rehydration salts (WHO/UNICEF ORS standard sachet)
6. A multidisciplinary approach based on prevention, preparedness and response, along with an efficient surveillance system, is key for mitigating cholera outbreaks.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF/BASIC PRECAUTIONS
· Thorough washing of hands, especially before food preparation and eating.
· Drink only water that has been boiled or disinfected with chlorine, iodine or other suitable products.
· Eat food that has been thoroughly cooked and is still hot when served.
· Be sure that meals bought from street vendors are thoroughly cooked in your presence and do not contain any uncooked foods.
OTHERS

· Beverages such as hot tea or coffee, carbonated water or soft drinks and bottled or packaged fruit juices are usually safe to drink

· Avoid ice, unless you are sure that it is made from safe water
· Avoid raw seafood and other raw foods. The exceptions are fruits and vegetables that you have peeled or shelled yourself.
· Boil unpasteurized milk before drinking it
· Avoid ice cream from unreliable sources

· Simple rule to remember: boil it, cook it, peel it or forget it.

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Health workers man an isolation ward at Mwananyamala Hospital in Dar es Salaam yesterday following a cholera outbreak in the city. The death toll stood at four yesterday, with over 20 people having been hospitalised since the first case was reported last weekend. PHOTO | SALIM SHAO

Dar es Salaam. At least four people have died of cholera in Dar es Salaam since the disease resurfaced in the city last weekend. Twenty-six people had been hospitalised in Kinondoni District by midday yesterday with excessive diarrhoea and vomiting, up from six patients reported on Sunday.

Health authorities in Kinondoni Municipality were working to establish the source of the outbreak, but most of the patients came from Manzese, Tandale and Kijitonyama.

It was confirmed that four patients in Kinondoni District had contracted cholera after their stool samples tested positive for the deadly water-borne disease yesterday.

Plans were afoot to transfer them to a special treatment camp in Mburahati, Kinondoni Municipal Director Musa Naty told The Citizen.

He said public health authorities were taking measures to contain the latest outbreak to have hit the city of close to 5 million people.

"Teams of health workers have been dispatched to several hot spots in Kinondoni District. Our priority is to control the outbreak before it spreads further. We are treating patients having symptoms of the disease, but the main aim is to prevent it,'' Mr Naty said in a telephone interview.

Two isolation wards had been set up at Sinza and Mwananyamala hospitals to cope with an expected increase in the number of new cases.

A spot check by The Citizen at Mwananyamala Hospital established that 11 patients were already receiving treatment as they awaited results of laboratory tests.

Health workers had a hectic time attending to the patients, with some complaining about a shortage of medical supplies. More patients were expected to be received at the isolation ward, which is meant to accommodate a maximum of ten people, raising the spectre of congestion.

"As the number of patients continues to increase, we face the possibility of running out of medical supplies,'' said a doctor, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak with the media.

The chief physician at Mwananyamala Hospital, Dr Sophinias Ngonyani, told The Citizen that only one person had so far died of cholera at the hospital, but other sources put the number of deaths at four.

However, the Kinondoni District Medical Officer, Dr Aziz Msuya, said that two people had died so far, one at Sinza Hospital and the other at Mwananyamala Hospital.

He added that the public was being educated on how to protect themselves from the disease, adding that about 70 households had been fumigated in the district. Dr Msuya said adequate drugs and other medical supplies would be made available as authorities stepped up efforts to contain the outbreak.

"We have ordered more medical supplies from the Medical Stores Department to make it possible for us to handle the increasing number of patients.'' The World Health Organisation recommends focusing on prevention, preparedness, and response to combat the spread of cholera. WHO also stresses the importance of an effective surveillance system when trying to contain an outbreak.

Source: thecitizen

 

[Richard chilongani]

Isije ikawa ni political game ambayo baadayt itaperekea kuzuia misongamano na misururu ya wanaomfuata Lowassa?

:eek::eek:

 

[2013]

imesha kua kawaida kwa wakazi wa Dar watu kula vinyesi..

John mnyika alipambana sana pale bungeni kuhakikisha Bomba la Ruvu linakamilika mapema lisisubiri mpaka 2017 lakini serikali kupitia waziri wake ikamkatalia Waziwazi huku ikikubali ukweli kua maji ni tatizo Dar. Nahopu maji ya kipatikana mapema, huu utamaduni wa wakazi wa Dar kunywa maji taka utapungua kwa kiasi kikubwa.. i think kinga ni bora kuliko tiba,.