By Takunda Mandura,

TRT Afrika, Harare

Zimbabwe has reached out to World Health Organization ( WHO) to procure two million cholera vaccine doses for distribution in hotspots

Health Minister Douglas Mombeshora said on Saturday the authorities had mapped cholera epicentres in the latest outbreak of the water-borne bacterial disease.

The vaccination programme will be rolled out next week, he added.

No enough vaccines

“We do not have enough vaccines to cover the whole country but we have mapped out the districts that are affected where we would do target vaccination," he said.

"We have been promised that hopefully by Wednesday next week we will have approvals, we will be able to start vaccinations," added Dr Mombeshora.

He said the vaccination drive was a temporary measure as the government deals with the long-term problems of water and sanitation.

School calendar

The minister said schools will reopen as scheduled on January 9 since the government had established measures to prevent the spread of the disease. Schools have been asked to set up handwashing points and foot baths.

"We want all administrators to implement proper hygiene at schools. We will be monitoring the situation and have concluded that it's not necessary to close schools because of cholera," said Dr Mombershora.

The government launched Operation Chenesa in the capital, Harare, to deal with management of solid waste. The city has been divided into five regions to ensure all solid waste dumpsites are cleared as a measure to stop the surge in cholera cases.

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