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Zimbabwe First Has To Deal With Cholera, And Now Anthrax

by Can Tran | November 30, 2008 at 05:23 pm

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The health situation in Zimbabwe continues to get hectic. As if they had enough on its hands in dealing with the cholera break, now it has to deal with a possible anthrax break. First cholera, now it is anthrax.

HARARE (AFP) – An anthrax outbreak has killed three people and threatens to wipe out livestock in northern Zimbabwe, compounding the nation's struggle against cholera which has killed hundreds, a charity said Monday.

Two children and one adult in the Zambezi Valley have died of the disease, which also threatens to kill 60,000 livestock in the region, Save the Children, a British non-government group, said in a statement.

Anthrax is a highly contagious infection that usually only afflicts livestock, but can be transmitted to humans who handle or eat infected animals.