The Zimbabwe Crisis
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The United Nations said today that the death toll from the worst cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe's history has now surpassed 1,100 and the epidemic continues to spread to new areas of the capital, Harare.
In addition, the number of suspected cases as of 17 December has now reached nearly 20,600, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
"The UN is planning for a worst-case scenario of 60,000 cases before the end of the rainy season," UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters. "That's based on an estimate that half of the country's population is potentially at risk of contracting cholera."
In addition to affecting nine out of the country's ten provinces, the outbreak has also spilled across borders into South Africa, Botswana, and Mozambique.
OCHA said cases and fatalities of cholera - an acute intestinal infection caused by contaminated food or water - have decreased substantially in areas where aid agencies are present.
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has already flown in medical supplies to treat 50,000 people. The agency is also working with OCHA to coordinate the response through a donor-funded Cholera Command and Control Centre.
In addition, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is intensifying its support to cholera treatment centres across the country....
Read more at link.
In addition, the number of suspected cases as of 17 December has now reached nearly 20,600, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
"The UN is planning for a worst-case scenario of 60,000 cases before the end of the rainy season," UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters. "That's based on an estimate that half of the country's population is potentially at risk of contracting cholera."
In addition to affecting nine out of the country's ten provinces, the outbreak has also spilled across borders into South Africa, Botswana, and Mozambique.
OCHA said cases and fatalities of cholera - an acute intestinal infection caused by contaminated food or water - have decreased substantially in areas where aid agencies are present.
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has already flown in medical supplies to treat 50,000 people. The agency is also working with OCHA to coordinate the response through a donor-funded Cholera Command and Control Centre.
In addition, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is intensifying its support to cholera treatment centres across the country....
Read more at link.
