Via allAfrica.com, a report from the Zimbabwe Independent: Zimbabwe: State Faces New Cholera Threat. Excerpt:
Zimbabwe faces a new cholera threat after an international humanitarian body revealed that 23% of the country's districts are facing a second surge of the disease.
The United Nations International Children's Fund (Unicef) said in a report released on Wednesday that it required US$17 million to respond to the most acute emergencies in Zimbabwe. Such emergencies include measles and typhoid outbreaks.
The second cholera outbreak for the 20009/10 season commenced in February and 453 cases and 13 deaths had been recorded, said Unicef, adding that six million Zimbabweans remained vulnerable to a humanitarian crisis because of fragile social service delivery systems.
"Cholera outbreaks have been limited significantly this year compared to the 2008/9 outbreak, due to massive humanitarian interventions and increased general awareness. However, an outbreak in the last quarter of 2010 would pose a serious threat," reads part of the report.
Cholera killed over 4 000 people at its peak in 2008 following the breakdown of sanitation, water and health systems.
