Drought worsens cholera outbreak

Ten people have died out of 350 new cases of cholera in southern Zimbabwe since the beginning of August, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday. In the districts of Zaka and Bikita, 61 new cases of the waterborne disease - associated with poor sanitation - have been reported since the beginning of September. Last year, 650 cases were reported throughout the country and 14 people died. "The current situation is being made worse because of the drought, and in the rural areas sanitation is very poor," UNICEF Resident Representative Festo Kavishe told IRIN. The situation had been compounded by a protracted health workers' strike, and an overall shortage of health personnel, Kavishe explained. An unexpected setback was also the initial reluctance of a religious sect in the area to take anti-cholera medication, opting for healing prayers instead, he said. To control the spread of the disease, UNICEF, the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society, local health authorities, and even the police, have mobilised for an education and prevention campaign. UNICEF information officer Mayke Huijbregts said this had also included the distribution of water purification tablets, the provision of public bowsers, and soap. Huijbregts said people living with HIV/AIDS were in particular danger, as their weakened immune systems made them more vulnerable to illness. An outbreak of cholera in nearby Malawi earlier this year had a significant impact on the ability of communities to cultivate, deepening the country's food crisis. Around half of Zimbabwe's 12 million people are in need of food aid until next year's harvest. More details on cholera