The Harare city council has confirmed an outbreak of typhoid at Mbare Matapi area where 17 people are currently receiving treatment.
The outbreak is suspected to have been caused by poor water sanitation and poor personal hygiene worsened by overpopulation.
Harare City Director for Health, Dr Prosper Chonzi said 17 cases of typhoid have been confirmed and they have deployed their team in the area to mobilise the community and ensure those with suspected symptoms receive treatment.
When the ZBC News crew visited Mbare, a number of people were being attended to.
Dr Chonzi said though the issue of access to safe water needs urgent attention, they are working with the Ministry of Health and Child Care to introduce a vaccine for typhoid in areas that are highly at risk of typhoid outbreaks.
Of late, the local authority has been blamed for failing to deal with service delivery issues such as piling garbage, sewer spillages and to ensure safe and clean running water which are the biggest threats to health in the city. zbc
