Fri, 29 Sep 2017 09:54:28 +0000
By JACK MAPAPAYI
CHAVUMA district has recorded a significant rise in cases of diarrhoea which the local health office suspects may be an an outbreak of dysentery.
District Health Director Kizito Sampa told the Daily Nation that the outbreak has affected all age groups in almost all the parts of the district.
Dr. Sampa said most patients attended to had diarrhoea with blood in the stool, fever and general body weakness adding that the outbreak is suspected to be spread through the water that people are consuming.
He said his office was doing all it could to control the outbreak, and that samples had since been sent to the laboratory for confirmation of the type of outbreak.
Dr. Sampa explained that a team of health workers was going round the district to treat water points with chlorine to reduce the rise in cases of suspected dysentery.
He noted that the district usually recorded cases of diarrhoea outbreaks before the onset of the rain season.
The district medical director has since appealed to the community members to cooperate with the health staff who are treating water points and further urged residents to observe high levels of hygiene by washing hands before eating and after using the toilet.
