HARARE – The City of Harare is facing mounting pressure as an escalating sewage crisis threatens to trigger a potential cholera outbreak in several high-density suburbs, with residents reporting prolonged exposure to raw sewage and deteriorating sanitation conditions. Communities in Glen View, Kambuzuma, Mufakose and Mbare say burst sewer systems have gone unattended for weeks, with some blockages reportedly unresolved for up to three weeks.

HARARE – Health experts have raised an alarm over the growing circulation of illegal herbal creams and unregulated medicines in Zimbabwe, warning that the surge in informal drug markets commonly known as “backyard pharmacies” poses serious risks to public health.

HARARE – Fresh details have emerged surrounding decades of mysterious deaths in Chief Mola’s area in Nyaminyami Rural District, Kariba, with officials and health experts now pointing to chronic Schistosomiasis, commonly known as bilharzia, as the likely cause. For years, residents have reported a disturbing pattern in which victims develop swollen abdomens and vomit blood before dying, sparking fear and speculation across the community.

BULAWAYO — A Bulawayo man has appeared in court accused of siphoning medicines valued at about US$17,640 from the Bulawayo City Council pharmacy, a case that has prompted questions about internal controls in public health facilities. Polite Nkomo (31) pleaded not guilty when he appeared before Magistrate Isheunesu Mathoba. He was granted bail of US$200 and released on conditions pending further investigations.

Nigeria has recorded a decline in new Lassa fever infections, but health authorities warn that the disease is becoming more deadly as patients delay seeking treatment. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said 65 new cases were reported in the last week of February, down from 77 in the previous week. However, the case fatality rate has risen sharply to over 23%, compared to just under 19% during the same period last year.

HARARE — Residents of Matererini and Matapi Flats in Mbare are reporting a renewed outbreak of bedbugs, locally known as tsikidzi, that is disrupting sleep and daily life in the densely populated apartment blocks.

HARARE — The government will launch a nationwide dog vaccination programme in the coming weeks after authorities recorded a sharp increase in rabies cases across the country, officials said.