Cholera death toll continues to rise in Zimbabwe (Extra)

Dec 9, 2008, 10:29 GMT

Geneva - The cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe has continued to cause more deaths, the United Nations said Tuesday, with the latest statistics showing that 589 have died.

However, Fadila Chiab of the World Health Organization (WHO) said the true extent of the outbreak is not yet known, and the toll is likely higher than currently reported.

The outbreak is considered to be the worst in Zimbabwe's modern history.

The health situation was being compounded by the country's hyperinflation, the closure of medical institutions and the strikes by medics who have not been paid.

Charities and UN agencies in Zimbabwe were considering options of how to get the health workers back to their jobs, including offering them 'incentives.'

The Red Cross said it was already feeding health workers in clinics it supported, as they otherwise lacked even basic supplies.

The WHO had sent a delegation to Harare to coordinate interventions with ministry officials and health employees after medical services in the country deteriorated to the point that people were unable to access basic care.

Sanitation and clean drinking water also remained a major concern, and the UN and the Red Cross said they were working to tank in water and dig wells.

A breakdown of the country's water system is said to have been a primary cause of the cholera outbreak.

Meanwhile, ongoing teachers' strikes have kept children from attending schools in some areas for an extended period.

The UN's children fund, UNICEF, said it was easier to spot the disease and prevent mortality among the young if they showed up to school and could be examined there, stressing the need to find solutions for the educators.

Also, in a sign of a further deterioration in the country, about half of Zimbabwe's population remained in need of food aid, with more people being eligible for handouts than had previously been thought.