Health and Science Story

10 January 2009 01:09 BST

Zimbabwe cholera crisis deepens

The United Nations has made an urgent $2 million (£1.35 million) appeal to help Zimbabwe fight its worst cholera outbreak in over a decade.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) also called for emergency health supplies, water purification equipment, portable diagnostic kits and trained personnel to deal with the deadly disease.

According to the UN 484 people have died from cholera since August, with more than 11,700 cases recorded in the same period.

"Cholera outbreaks in Zimbabwe have occurred annually since 1998, but previous epidemics never reached today's proportions. The last outbreak was in 1992 with 3,000 cases recorded," WHO said.

"WHO is seeking to reduce the epidemic's spread by ensuring access to safe water and maintaining safe isolation and infection controls in health centres, and to reduce mortality through early detection and improved access to health care and feeding support."

The Harare government has blamed the outbreak on collapsing water and sewer services and lack of clean water due to shortages of purification chemicals.

Independent health organisations, like the Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights (ZDHR), argue that over 1,000 people have been killed by cholera outbreak that has spilled over to South Africa, Zambia and Botswana.

The country’s water utility, the Zimbabwe national water authority (Zinwa), yesterday cut of water supplies to suburbs and industrial areas of the capital in a desperate bid to stop the spread of cholera.

The government has failed to contain the spread of cholera due to lack of medicines and drugs and the general collapse of the health delivery system.

As the nation grapples with the worst cholera outbreak, an emergency assessment by the United Kingdom-based Save the Children said an outbreak of anthrax has since killed two children and one adult and could wipe out livestock.