Harare, (New Ziana) – September saw the country grappling with a worrying spike in diarrhoea cases, with children under five years old emerging as the most vulnerable group, according to the latest Disease Surveillance Report from the Ministry of Health and Child Care.
The report, covering the month of September, shows that the country recorded 9,705 new cases of common diarrhoea and eight related deaths in just one week. Alarmingly, more than half of the patients (58%)—about 5,608 cases—were children below the age of five, highlighting the heavy toll of the outbreak on the youngest members of society.
The Ministry said the outbreak hit Mashonaland West and Mashonaland Central provinces the hardest, with the two regions accounting for a combined total of more than 3,000 cases. Mashonaland West topped the list with 1,751 cases, followed closely by Mashonaland Central with 1,390.
Cumulatively in September, Zimbabwe recorded 227,237 diarrhoea cases and 137 deaths since the beginning of the year. The rise in infections has been attributed to poor sanitation, inadequate access to clean water, and unhygienic food handling practices, particularly in rural and peri-urban communities.
“Common diarrhoea can be caused by viral or bacterial infections, as well as consumption of contaminated food or water,” the Ministry said in its update. The Ministry urged citizens to maintain high standards of hygiene, ensure that drinking water is treated or boiled, and seek medical care immediately when symptoms appear.
It also emphasized the importance of hydration for affected children, warning that dehydration remains the most serious complication linked to diarrhoeal diseases.
New Ziana
