Cholera outbreak claims 14 lives

At least 14 people have died and 203 have been hospitalised in eastern Zimbabwe as authorities battle to control a cholera outbreak that began in early May.

Zimbabwe has warned that it might not be able to control the disease without cooperation from the government of Mozambique, where the outbreak is thought to have originated.

In an interview with IRIN, Deputy Health Minister Edwin Muguti said preliminary investigations suggested that the epidemic could have been caused by the use of water from a heavily contaminated river that flowed from Mozambique through three large communal areas in Zimbabwe.

"The disease is coming from Mozambique, which is why we need to cooperate with them: fighting cholera on the Zimbabwean side would be futile if the causes in Mozambique are not dealt with," Muguti told IRIN.

He said Mozambican communities were using the river for various domestic purposes and dumping raw waste into it, while the Zimbabwean communities downstream were using the water for consumption and cooking.

Muguti added that they had approached the Mozambican government and were in the process of negotiating a control strategy to address the causes and impact of the disease on both sides of the border.

He denied allegations by field staff that containment efforts were being hampered by the shortage of basic medicines in Zimbabwe, saying the government had adequate resources and would ensure that more were provided to fight the disease.

Zimbabwe has battled to control a number of epidemics that have affected people and livestock due to a shortage of medicine and human resources since 2001.

Besides the cholera oubreak, the department of veterinary services has also been fighting an outbreak of anthrax among livestock in Masvingo, Mashonaland West and Harare Metropolitan provinces. Three people who allegedly ate meat from contaminated carcasses have been hospitalised.