PRESIDENT Ali Mohamed Shein yesterday morning visited the flood-hit areas in the Zanzibar town suburbs to personally oversee the extent of destruction and distribution of relief commodities to affected people.
Several properties including belongings
and buildings were destroyed or damaged after the havoc caused by last
weekend’s torrential rains and floods that devastated several areas in
the municipality and the suburbs. The devastation has affected more than
two thousand with at least one person dead.
Dr Shein directed the executives and
staff from ‘Disaster and Preparedness Commission’ to take all steps to
ensure that relief services are provided to the needy people.
Later the president also visited the
cholera treatment centre at Chumbuni where more than 1,700 patients, by
yesterday, were being treated. Health authorities informed the president
that 40 people have died of the disease.
“Cholera is a big problem. We have been
doing all we can to give health education, including using mobile
phones, asking people to observe health precautions,” said Dr Mohamed
Dahoma, director of prevention.
Dr Shein appealed to the people to join
hands in containing the epidemic and that it should not be allowed to
reach the level of 1978 when the disease killed and affected thousands
of people.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation
(WHO) yesterday extended its hand to support the anti-cholera campaign,
after its representative in Tanzania, Dr Chatora Rufaro, handed over
medicines and equipment worth over 39m/- to the second vice-president,
Ambassador Seif Ali.
Dr Rufano who talked to the president
before meeting the second vice-president, said it was possible to
contain cholera if everyone in the islands takes responsibility
including treating or boiling water.
Ambassador Iddi thanked WHO and UNICEF
for their contribution in support of the anti cholera campaign, saying
“the government is taking necessary steps including increased awareness
to ends the outbreak.
