TWELVE people have lost their lives in Chunya District, Mbeya Region, in the wake of a cholera outbreak since last October, with 680 persons being infected.

Dr Zuberi Mzige, the district medical officer, shared the information at the third-quarter meeting of the fiscal 2024/2025 district council session earlier this week.

The outbreak occurred in two phases, first in October where over 600 people were affected and 10 deaths reported. Then at the end of December 80 people were infected and two more deaths reported, he said.

One person died in the community and another at a camp set up for cholera patients, he stated, pointing at Kiwanja ward as most affected. It has several mines and lacks proper sanitation, with many of those infected being miners, working in Kiwanja, Ifumbo, Itumbi and Makongolosi wards, the medic explained.

The patients are receiving treatment in various locations, including the district hospital, the Makongolosi Health Center and dispensaries in Matundasi, Ifumbo and Kiwanja, he said.

Efforts to educate the community are being pursued in collaboration with local government officials, he said, with the miners cautioned about drinking rainwater collected in pits as they are often contaminated with waste.

Water agency officials along with the district secretariat moved to collect and test water samples to identify the nature of contamination, where cholera bacteria were found, he said.

Efforts are underway to treat the contaminated water and educate the public on proper sanitation, plus the importance of clean drinking water, he elaborated.

Ramadhani Shumbi, the district council vice-chairman, urged councillors to collaborate with health experts to educate the public on proper sanitation practices to eliminate cholera.

He emphasized that cholera is primarily caused by poor hygiene, stressing the need for continuous sanitation education, especially in areas with high population density.

Major economic activities like gold mining and tobacco farming attract large numbers of people, thus the areas require special attention, he said.

He appealed to councillors to help educate people on proper sanitation, encouraging them to build and use latrines, underlining that cholera has no other source except contamination.

Mbeya Region has faced an intense cholera outbreak, with Chunya and the city of Mbeya the most impacted, primarily due to using contaminated water.