Zim: Fresh cholera outbreak looms

  1. Posted on Tuesday 7 April 2009 - 09:35
    conrad
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    Conrad Dube Mwanawashe, AfricaNews reporter in Harare, Zimbabwe Photo: Shepherd Tozvireva
    Zimbabwe faces a fresh cholera epidemic given that water and sewage systems have not been repaired, visiting Oxfam chief executive Barbara Stocking said Monday.
    life in zimbabwe Photo_Shepherd Tozvireva
    Stocking who is on a three-day visit to Zimbabwe was speaking after touring a cholera treatment centre in Harare’s high density suburb of Budiriro, which was the hardest hit area. Stocking officially commissioned a borehole drilling programme at a primary school in the area.

    “We have to expect a cholera epidemic and outbreak to happen again at the end of this year given that the water and sewage system is not working well. It is not going to be quick and easy to get an efficient water and sewage system fully working so all the things that we did in the fight against cholera will certainly be needed again next year,” said Stocking.

    A cholera epidemic killed more than 4000 people in Zimbabwe since its outbreak in August last year. Oxfam has been one of the leading donors in the fight against cholera.
    Oxfam will drill a total of 20 boreholes in Harare as the government fails to provide clean water to the more than 3 million people living in the capital.

    “The key to cholera is good sanitation and making sure that people have clean water and ensuring that sewage does not mix with drinking water,” said Stocking.

    Zimbabwe has failed to contain the cholera outbreak mainly because of a breakdown in water and sewage reticulation systems, lack of drugs to treat infected patients but international donors and non-governmental organizations poured in human resources, medical supplies and food aid to help stem the outbreak.

    Stocking said there was an understanding among donors that the donor community must also focus on the recovery phase and not on the humanitarian aid only.

    “But it is not going to be very fast. From an Oxfam point of view, we will be talking to donors to try and persuade them that we should move on a little bit into the recovery phase, but there are some long term questions that the country will have to answer, ” said Stocking.

    Critics of President Robert Mugabe accuse his government for failing to develop infrastructure during the 29 years that he has been in power. Mugabe formed an inclusive government with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in February that is viewed as a solution to Zimbabwe’s socio-economic crisis.

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