Rains to worsen Zimbabwe's cholera

  1. Posted on Tuesday 6 January 2009 - 09:13
    Sam Banda Junior
    Image of Sam Banda Junior
    Sam Banda Junior, AfricaNews reporter in Blantyre, Malawi Photo: ROHR Zimbabwe
    The rainy season which has started in many southern African countries threatens to accelerate the cholera situation in Zimbabwe. The disease has already killed over 1,000 people in the country and the rains could up the situation, the country's minister of health David Parirenyatwa said Monday.
    Zimbabwe_Photo: ROHR Zimbabwe
    Zimbabwe’s rainy season peaks up in January or February and ends in late March. The cholera outbreak in the southern African country has come about due to poor sanitation and people drinking unsafe water.

    Rains mostly bring about floods and sweep bad things which could increase the cholera outbreak as well as other water borne diseases.

    The minister said while more efforts have been made to ease the cholera situation which was stabilizing, the rains could bring more outbreaks. "Floods are a pre-disposing factor for cholera. We hope we don't get floods this year," said Parirenyatwa.

    However with the poor sanitation and poor water systems chances are high the disease could spread. In other southern African countries like Malawi, rains have already brought about heavy storms and floods.

    The cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe forced several other leaders including US president George Bush to call for President Robert Mugabe’s resignation to protect the lives of people.

    According to a Reuters report, World Health Organization said last week that cholera had killed 1,608 people of 30,365 reported cases and the infection rate showed no signs of slowing.

    Cholera, which causes severe diarrhoea and dehydration, is reported to have spread to all of Zimbabwe's 10 provinces. Apart from being hit by the disease, the country is also in economic problems leading to skyrocketing inflation and food prices.

    The country is also fixed in a political crisis following the failure of the power sharing deal between President Mugabe and Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

    The deal brokered in September by former South Africa’s president Thabo Mbeki has failed to bring the two to terms following disagreements on the power sharing deal.

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