Country prepares for cholera outbreak in flood hit areas

Zimbabwe Health Minister Timothy Stamps said on Wednesday that outbreaks of cholera and malaria were looming in northern parts of the country where floods have displaced over 15,000 people, PANA reported. Incessant rains have destroyed homes, crops and bridges in Muzarabani district on the border with Mozambique, forcing thousands of villagers to flee to safety. Stamps, speaking after touring the district, said there were growing signs of looming outbreaks of malaria and cholera in the areas hit by flooding. "So far there is no major health problem in the affected areas. We are, however, aware that now that the floods have subsided, leaving stagnant water everywhere, such conditions are conducive to the breeding of mosquitoes," he said. "We also expect diarrhoea diseases like cholera and dysentery to be on the increase."