ZIMBABWE4/12/2008
The government of Zimbabwe declared the worse cholera outbreak in 15 years a national emergency. In making the announcement, Health Minister David Parirenyatwa also put the death toll so far at 563. A toll not far from the 565 dead estimated by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), with 12,546 recorded cases. Parirenyatwa also admitted that referral hospitals were in urgent need of drugs, food and equipment: “Our central hospitals are literally not functioning. Our staff is demotivated and we need your support to ensure that they start coming to work and our health system is revived”. A situation that according to the minister also jeopardises treatment for patients with other ailments. “There has been a drop in cases in all provinces except Harare, we are attempting to control the movement of infected people to avoid a further spread”, added the Health minister. According to OCHA, the most critical situation remains in the Budiriro district, where the capital Harare is situated, with 6,448 cases and 177 deaths, and a death rate of 2.7%, followed by the zones of Beitbridge and Mudzi (respectively with 3,079 and 1,234 cases).
No comments:
Post a Comment