[ad_1]
HARARE (Reuters) – A cholera outbreak has killed 10 people in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, after drinking contaminated water, a city health official said on Sunday.
Harare City Council has struggled to supply water to some suburbs for more than a decade, forcing residents to depend on open well water and community drilling.
Clemence Duri, health director for Harare City, said more than 300 people had been hospitalized after contracting the water-borne disease, which causes severe diarrhea and dehydration. The outbreak was reported for the first time on Friday.
"The death toll has increased to ten. We determined that the outbreak was caused by an exploded sewer line that had contaminated drilling water, "Duri added, adding that the pipe had been replaced.
Zimbabwe experienced its largest cholera outbreak in 2008 at the height of the economic crisis: over 4,000 people died and 40,000 became ill.
Reportage by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Edited by Kirsten Donovan
Source link
