Cholera in Zimbabwe: Gatherings Prohibited

The Zimbabwean government has begun to restrict public gatherings and food sales while monitoring burial operations in all areas affected by cholera, as cases have surged this week. New cholera infection cases in the Southern African nation have increased threefold from 437 to 1,259 this week, marking the largest jump since the latest outbreak of the waterborne disease began in February. This has sparked panic in Zimbabwe, where more than four thousand people died from cholera in 2008. The Ministry of Health reported that the country has recorded 155 cholera-related deaths among 8,787 cases to date. Authorities declared a state of emergency last week in the capital, Harare, which has reported the highest number of new infections. On Friday, residents of a low-income suburb in Harare, which recorded seven deaths among the 13 cholera fatalities in the capital, complained about irregular clean water supply, uncollected garbage, and sewage overflow in the streets. Many residents have dug shallow wells to meet their household water needs. The Harare municipality has distributed water purification tablets to residents as part of efforts to combat the disease, which causes diarrhea.