Zimbabwe reports 12 new cholera cases, first in two months

Aug 26, 2009, 8:04 GMT

Harare - Twelve new cases of cholera have been reported in a south-eastern Zimbabwean district, according to Health Minister Henry Madzorera, less than two months after the worst epidemic of the diarrhoeal disease in recent years in Africa was declared over.

The state-run daily Herald quoted him as saying that 10 of the patients from a clinic in the Chipinge district had been treated and discharged, while two more were being held for observation.

A spokesman for the United Nations Childrens Fund, which coordinates cholera treatment and prevention campaigns in Zimbabwe, said a team was testing samples from the region.

Zimbabwe's last confirmed case of cholera was reported in Harare in June, said the UN spokesman. Nearly 4,300 people died and 10,000 were infected in that outbreak.

An economic collapse exacerbated that outbreak, as water supplies dried up and sewage disposal systems blocked up, creating ideal conditions for the spread of cholera, according to experts.

The new reported cases have surfaced at the same time that last year's epidemic began. UN representatives have said a new outbreak is almost inevitable, since Zimbabwe has made few advances in improving its water and sewage infrastructure.

The last outbreak was also made worse when health officials walked out to demand more pay. The government has since managed to entice them back to work and bring some new equipment and drugs into hospitals.

But labour tensions continue. Doctors at the country's four largest hospitals have recently downed tools again over low pay. Additionally, last week the first confirmed cases the A(H1N1) virus, or swine flu, was reported in the country.