Zimbabwe battles cholera outbreak, as over 100 people reportedly killed

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s government has introduced restrictions to control a cholera outbreak that is suspected to have killed more than 100 people.

The measures included suspending some social gatherings, restricting the number of people allowed to attend funerals and banning handshakes and serving of food at funerals in areas affected by the outbreak.

The BBC reported that the Ministry of Health had on Wednesday announced 100 suspected cholera deaths, 30 of which turned out positive.

The Ministry also confirmed 905 cholera cases out of more than 4,600 suspected cases.

According to the Ministry of Health, the ongoing outbreak had spread across more than 41 districts, including the capital, Harare.

Zimbabwe is prone to frequent cholera outbreaks.

One of its worst outbreaks between 2008 and 2009, killed more than 4,200 people and infected nearly 100,000 others.

In August, the UN children’s agency Unicef attributed the outbreaks to poor sanitation infrastructure, unstable water supply, regular sewer bursts and poor waste management, amid a rapid growth in the country’s urban population.

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