INCREASE GUMBO
MIRROR REPORTER

CHIREDZI – Government has vaccinated at least 95 000 Chiredzi villagers against Cholera following an outbreak that claimed 30 lives early this year, District Medical Officer (DMO), Dr Brian Dhlandhlara has said.
He told The Mirror that the residents received the Oral Cholera Vaccination in two phases on the side lines of a media cholera sensitization meeting at Chiredzi District Hospital boardroom last Monday.
Dhlandhlara said the program targeting cholera hotspots was launched by Government through the Ministry of Health and Childcare in February 2023.
“The first phase was in January this year and we vaccinated 82 000 people. The district has just completed the second phase of the programme that was targeting Ward 11 villagers. We vaccinated 14 100 villagers and some of them came from surrounding wards. We targeted Ward 11 because it was affected by the waterborne disease,” he said.
Chiredzi District Nursing Officer (DNO), Leonard Bhasera said the vaccine is given to everybody who is a year old and above. He added that the first phase targeted Wards 11 wards.
“The vaccination programme was in two phases, the first one targeted wards 1, 2, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 24, 26, 29 and 32 and the second phase targeted ward 11.
“People responded well and I think it’s because they saw the effects of the disease, all the vaccines we had were finished and people were coming in numbers,” said Bhasera.
The District recorded 1 700 cholera this year alone.