Zimbabwe: Cholera to reach 100,000

  1. Posted on Tuesday 26 May 2009 - 16:31
    bruce
    Bruce Sibanda, AfricaNews reporter in Harare, Zimbabwe Photo: Shepherd Tozvireva
    A humanitarian aid agency in Zimbabwe on Tuesday said cholera infection rate could fast hit 100,000 "any time" next week. The Zimbabwe Red Cross Society, in a report said: "It is likely that at some point in the coming week, the 100,000th case of cholera will be officially reported in Zimbabwe."
    Zimbabwe children seen playing along a steam of sewage coming from their poor and outdated seware system in the Harare township of Glen Norah. Reported cases of cholera death are declining according to World Health Organisation (WHO) but if the sewage sys
    Cholera outbreak hit Zimbabwe October last year but the government initially denied it saying it is "a biological warfare by the West." But to date 98,309 cases have been reported, with some 4,283 deaths.

    The causes of the outbreak still needed to be addressed, according to the aid agency in its report. "The outbreak was born largely as a result of the country's almost entirely collapsed water, sanitation and health systems. These issues have not been addressed," the report stated.

    Although infection rates have dropped, the spectre of cholera will not be defeated until the underlying issues are addressed, the Red Cross said. It said the "reluctant support" from donors had undermined the Red Cross and Red Crescent cholera operation, "forcing a premature down-scaling of emergency operations".

    The agencies said an estimated 3,75 million Swiss francs was "urgently required" to rehabilitate 1150 non-functional water sources, drill 263 bore holes and construct 3755 latrines.

    "Rates of infection and death have declined markedly over the past one or two months. The reasons for this are varied: the impact of the humanitarian response; the establishment in some areas of interim social services, and the natural life of any public health crisis.

    "However, the eradication of cholera in Zimbabwe or the complete conclusion to this current epidemic is unlikely unless the underlying causes of the health crises are addressed," the report added.

    The cholera epidemic spread to surrounding areas in Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia.

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