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Zimbabwean cholera deaths now over 3,000

by Marisa Olivia | January 28, 2009 at 06:59 am

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Zimbabwe Cholera Outbreak - WHO photos-Photo-01

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This means that over 1,000 people have died in the past two weeks alone, according to the World Health Organization.

Cholera is spread by water and food which are contaminated with infected feces.

The epidemic of the water-borne disease has been fuelled by the collapse of Zimbabwe's water, sanitation and health systems.
Aid workers say the focus of the cholera outbreak has now moved to rural parts of the country.

The BBC cites a new epidemic report released by the WHO today, Wednesday, 28 January 2009.

According to the WHO:

The WHO said on Wednesday a total of 3,028 people have died from the cholera outbreak and 57,702 have been affected since August 2008.

The outbreak is spreading amidst continued disagreements between current President Mugabe, and Movement for Democra tic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai. The two have agreed to power-sharing in government, but disputes have led to a stalemate that shows no signs of being relieved any time soon. In the meantime, the country is in a state of economic collapse, and the currency is severely devalued. According to currency trading website, XE.com, the current exchange rate is 36,844,444 Zimbabwean dollars to one US dollar. Unemployment is at 80 percent.

Health care is in crisis. The WHO's 2008 Statistics Report, puts the average life expectancy, at birth, at 44 years of age. The healthy life expectancy at birth is only 33 years. WHO reports that," shortages of medicines, equipment and staff at health facilities throughout the country are compounding the health challenges." This makes it difficult to put together a coordinated effort to contain the outbreak, which is critical with a disease that can be spread so easily.

According to international aid organization, Doctors Without Borders (MSF):

With the exception of the surge of cases in Kadoma, the cholera epidemic recently has been spreading mainly in rural areas of Zimbabwe. The numbers of new cases have been decreasing in Harare, although the numbers remain significant.

The spread of the disease in rural areas is a serious concern because some of these places previously had very low or no cases of cholera. As is often seen in rural outbreaks, deaths occur before an intervention can start, and MSF is concerned that the peak has not yet been reached in many of these areas.

In the suburbs, the lack of sanitation services continues to be a problem and could result in higher case numbers again.

MSF also states that neighboring countries are also seeing new cases of cholera, but that this is related to the normal season, and likely not to the outbreak in Zimbabwe.

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Uwe Paschen

at 07:56 on January 28th, 2009

The number of death is most likely a lot higher by now. It is one of the worth Man made disasters of this decade. due to a gone mad regime.

Karenke4

at 09:23 on January 28th, 2009

This is one of the worst crises and it is not getting the attention it deserves. Thanks for posting this!

mpalevsky

at 09:29 on January 28th, 2009

Thank you

rumana husain

at 09:37 on January 28th, 2009

poverty, hunger, now cholera as the situation in mugabe's country keeps worsening! most of zimbabwe's 11 million people eat one meal a day or less. the 'save zimbabwe' activists are going on a hunger strike on sunday...

Amy Judd

at 09:47 on January 28th, 2009

Shocking.

Do you know, how can an outbreak like this be contained and stopped? What are the steps needed for that to happen?

Emilio Lizardo

at 13:44 on January 28th, 2009

Cholera is sort of mother nature's old-fashioned way of thinning the herd when too many people start to live in any single area. When the human waste products a community produces cannot be adequately neutralized by the natural environment then cholera quite often is the result ...

If these people can not get to clean drinking water, then this situation is going to continue to worsen.

Excellent report !