Zimbabwe declares cholera emergency in capital after death of 20 people

HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe has declared a cholera epidemic in the capital Harare after the death of 20 people and more than 2,000 people have been infected after drinking contaminated water, the new minister said on Tuesday. Obadiah Moyo Health.

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.

The latest cholera outbreak occurred after sewers in the suburbs of Budiriro and Glenview contaminated water in boreholes and open wells used by residents, said Moyo, who was flanked by the new mayor of Harare and other health authorities.

"We declare an emergency for Harare. This will allow us to contain cholera, typhoid and all that happens. We do not want more deaths, "Moyo said after visiting a hospital to treat patients in the capital.

The Minister of Health has stated that the sale of meat and fish by vendors in the affected suburbs has been banned and that the police have been asked to enforce the ban.

Moyo said the government had suspended classes in some schools in two suburbs located at the epicenter of the epidemic and had also sought the help of UN agencies and private companies to provide portable water.

Zimbabwe experienced its largest cholera outbreak in 2008 at the height of the economic crisis: more than 4,000 people died and another 40,000 were treated after being infected.