Cholera kills over 2,200 in Zimbabwe
January 17th, 2009 - 8:02 am ICT by IANSGeneva/Harare, Jan 17 (DPA) Zimbabwe’s cholera epidemic has continued its rapid spread, with the toll reaching 2,225 Friday, the UN said in Geneva.According to the organisation, 42,675 people have been infected with the waterborne disease. Wednesday, the toll stood at 2,106 dead and 40,448 infected.
The epidemic was being fuelled by a lack of clean drinking water and chronic shortages of food and other essentials in the country, which is facing its worst-ever economic and humanitarian crisis.
Some experts have blamed the government for the cholera epidemic, specifically due to its failure to import adequate water purification chemicals. In December, President Robert Mugabe declared the disease a national emergency. International governments and aid agencies have been assisting since.
Experts have also warned that the situation could deteriorate with the advent of the rainy season and possible flooding that has been forecast for some parts of Zimbabwe.
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Tags: adequate water, advent, chemicals, cholera epidemic, chronic shortages, clean drinking water, dpa, failure, geneva, harare, humanitarian crisis, international governments, national emergency, president robert mugabe, rainy season, robert mugabe, water purification, waterborne disease, zimbabwe