A state of emergency is declared due to cholera- Zimbabwe
A state of emergency is declared due to cholera-Zimbabwe
A cholera outbreak that has killed hundreds of people nationwide has prompted Zimbabwe to declare a state of emergency in its capital, Harare, the city’s mayor announced on Friday.
The 1.5 million-person city of Harare has been severely impacted by the disease outbreak that has swept through all of the country’s regions in southern Africa.
Mayor of Harare Ian Makone told AFP, “We have declared a state of emergency because the situation is very bad.” “The disease is spreading across the city.”
Zimbabwe has recorded more than 7,000 suspected cholera cases and almost 150 deaths, of which 51 have been confirmed by laboratory tests, since the outbreak was reported in February.
At least 12 people have died in Harare.
Cholera outbreaks occur regularly in Zimbabwean cities where supplies of drinking water and sanitation facilities are erratic — and infrastructure has collapsed due to years of neglect.
The disease is contracted from a bacterium that is generally transmitted through contaminated food or water.
“People have dug wells close to pit latrines, especially in mushrooming settlements and other suburbs which do not have running water. This means their drinking water is contaminated,” Makone said.
Officials have compared the situation to 2008, when cholera struck Zimbabwe, killing at least 4,000 people and sickening at least 100,000 more.
During the height of the nation’s economic crisis, when the outbreak occurred, the majority of public hospitals were forced to close due to a lack of medications and the exodus of medical personnel overseas.
According to Makone, the health ministry, relief organizations, and local government officials have teamed together to double the water supply in impacted areas and conduct awareness campaigns.
The United Nations reported earlier this year that following a decade of steady reduction, cholera has seen a global rebound after 2021.
