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CHOLERA - ZIMBABWE (03)
***********************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: 20 Oct 2009
Source: Asia One News / Reuters [edited]
<http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Health/Story/A1Story20091020-174700.html>
New Zimbabwe cholera outbreak kills 5
-------------------------------------
A fresh outbreak of cholera has killed 5 people from more than 100
recorded cases, state media reported on Tuesday [20 Oct 2009],
raising fears of a repeat of last year's epidemic that claimed more
than 4000 lives.
The southern African country suffered the continent's worst cholera
outbreak in 15 years between August 2008 and June this year after its
public health and water and sanitations systems collapsed.
A new unity government formed by rivals President Robert Mugabe and
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has managed to stabilise the
economy, re-open hospitals and restore some water supplies, but the
latest outbreak shows the disease remains a threat.
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change said on Friday [16 Oct
2009] it would boycott cabinet meetings because of problems in the
unity government, raising fears progress would unravel.
A senior Health Ministry official, Gerald Gwinji, told the
state-controlled Herald that the 5 deaths had been recorded from 117
cases in the Manicaland, Mashonaland West and Midlands provinces.
"Most of the cases were recorded ... among religious objectors, who
for a long time have been reluctant to seek medical attention," Gwinji said.
Aid agencies have warned that while conditions have slightly improved
since last year's cholera outbreak, water supply and sanitation
problems that led to the epidemic still largely exist.
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-EAFR
<promed-eafr@promedmail.org>
[Cholera still remains a public health problem not only in Zimbabwe
but also in many sub-Saharan Africa countries where many cases are
reported. Zimbabwe is however special because of the most recent and
largest outbreak in the region and because of this, the authorities
are requested to step up efforts to stop collapse of the public
health infrastructure. - Mod.BE]
[The interactive HealthMap/ProMED map for Zimbabwe is available at:
<http://healthmap.org/r/00aK> - CopyEd.EJP]
[see also:
Cholera - Tanzania: (Zanzibar West) 20090927.202711
Cholera - Ethiopia (03): Addis Ababa, susp 20090918.202407
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery: Worldwide 20090914.202068
Cholera - Kenya: Turkana 20090914.202053
Cholera - Ethiopia (02): Addis Ababa, susp., RFI 20090909.201978
Cholera, fatal - Kenya: (Nairobi) susp, RFI 20090907.201933
Cholera - Ethiopia: Addis Ababa, susp., RFI 20090906.201904
Cholera - Zimbabwe (02): (Manicaland) 20090827.201489
Cholera update: WHO global surveillance summary 2008 20090805.201108
Cholera - DR Congo: (N. & S. Kivu) 20090726.200887
Cholera - Somalia: (Mogadishu) 20090726.200886
Cholera - Zimbabwe: (Mashonaland E. Prov) 20090725.200878
Cholera - Uganda (02): (Busia) RFI 20090724.200847
Cholera - Sudan: (N. Bahr-al-Ghazal, Aweil), conf 20090717.200637
Cholera - Uganda: (Busia) susp 20090715.200580
Cholera - Uganda: (Kasese), ex DR Congo 20090712.200530]
....................mpp/be/ejp
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