Glen View high-density suburb in Harare has been hit by a typhoid outbreak, the Harare City Council said on Thursday.
Rights groups have warned that the situation may get worse because of a shortage of clean drinking water in the area.
Council spokesperson Michael Chideme advised Glen View residents to practice hygiene and treat drinking water regardless of the source. He said:
People should just practice good hygiene to avoid contracting waterborne diseases and also to treat all their water regardless of the source.
HCC health services director Prosper Chonzi told the Daily News that rapid response teams are very active in Glen View and Budiriro suburbs, which were also the epicentre of a deadly cholera outbreak a few years back which claimed thousands of lives.
Community Water alliance programmes manager, Hardlife Mudzingwa, told the Daily News that the Glen View typhoid outbreak was traced to an unprotected well. He said:
All the residents who were treated recently were confirmed to have contracted typhoid.
They allegedly use a deep well…, but it was not tested to see if the water is fit for human consumption.