Residents warned on cholera

WESTERN PROVINCE RUBAVU — Residents of Nyamyumba sector have been urged to practice better hygiene to prevent a possible outbreak of Cholera during the rainy season. The disease has previously hit Gisenyi and claimed lives during the rainy season. Nyamyumba sector coordinator Jean Paul Habimana issued the warning recently while supervising bars, eateries and other public places in Nyamyumba to evaluate the standard of hygiene. “We have in the past been struck by Cholera especially during rainy season. These outbreaks are mostly caused by poor hygiene of residents because until very recent some have still been using the bush as toilets” he said. He recalled the recent outbreak in November last year in which 65 people were admitted and three died and said that since then sector authorities set up strategies to prevent more outbreaks. This he said, include periodic inspection of public places and homes to evaluate hygiene. He warned of punitive measures for residents disposing their waste in the bush. He said they would be paraded before residents to serve as an example. He however, noted that despite the numerous challenges, the sector had achieved a lot in improving sanitation. “We are impressed by the current efforts by some of the residents to improve hygiene. Most of the bars and restaurants we inspected have registered a lot of improvement which is one of the reasons we haven’t had any cholera outbreak; like it has always happened during rainy season,” he said. Dr. Barnett Bahorana of Amahoro Hospital, in Nyamyumba sector had earlier attributed previous cholera outbreak in Nyamyumba and other sectors along Lake Kivu to the consumption of un-boiled water from the lake. He called upon resident along the lake to always drink boiled water to prevent the disease. Ends