UN: Fresh cholera outbreaks in Zimbabwe; death toll rising

Dec 19, 2008, 20:09 GMT

New York - The United Nations on Friday said the number of deaths in Zimbabwe had increased as new outbreaks of cholera were reported in the capital Harare and other cities.

More than 20,800 people were infected and more than 1,100 deaths were reported since September, the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs in New York said.

'The current situation in Zimbabwe is extremely worrying, but aid agencies, donors and the government of Zimbabwe are continuing to respond in an intensive and coordinated manner to bring the epidemic under control,' said John Holmes, chief of the humanitarian department.

Holmes urged countries to assist Zimbabwe as the onset of the rainy season provides ideal conditions for cholera to spread.

The UN feared that 60,000 people would be infected, in the worst case scenario, in a few months. It already reported that Harare's highly populated suburbs in the southwest are the worst affected.

The World Health Organization has flown medical supplies to treat 50,000 people, but it said drinking water in hospitals and residential areas was severely lacking.