'Cholera still on the rise in urban Zimbabwe'

  1. Posted on Tuesday 31 March 2009 - 11:07
    shepilo
    Shepherd Tozvireva, AfricaNews reporter in Harare, Zimbabwe
    Despite the reported downward trend at the national level, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has seen an increase in cholera patients in some urban areas of Zimbabwe. AfricaNews reporter Shepherd Tozvireva made a photoseries about people in the Zimbabwean capital Harare who are struggling for clean drinking water.
    An awareness cholera sticker seen at UNICEF water tank. Because of the ongoing water shortage ordinary people are forced to use water from unprotected wells. Photo by Shepherd Tozvireva
    “The capital Harare, as well as Chitungwiza and Kadoma remain hotspots,” says MSF emergency coordinator Markus Bachmann on their website. “They are again affected by massively deteriorating water supply and particularly poor sanitation.”

    In order to break the chain of infections, preventive measures are currently being scaled up. This includes increased hygiene education, water distribution, bucket chlorination as well as distribution of hygiene kits in the most affected areas.

    Last week the the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe appears to have passed its peak. Around 90.000 people were infected since the cholera outbreak in August and more then 4000 people died.