Date: 19 Dec 2008
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
Note: The last fact sheet was dated December 12, 2008.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
- Since August 2008, cholera has spread through 9 of Zimbabwe's 10 provinces, with the highest caseloads in Harare, Beitbridge, and Mudzi districts. As of December 18, cholera had caused more than 1,100 deaths, with nearly 20,900 cases reported, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The reported figures represent an increase of nearly 2,500 cases and more than 140 deaths since December 15. The U.N. health cluster is planning for a worst-case scenario of 60,000 cases nationwide.
- According to the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO), the cholera outbreak has affected border areas of neighboring countries, with confirmed cases reported in Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, and South Africa, primarily among Zimbabwe nationals.
- On December 16, U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Katherine S. Dhanani declared a disaster due to the effects of the cholera outbreak. To augment ongoing response efforts, USAID/OFDA activated a five-person Disaster Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART) on December 10. The USAID/DART continues to evaluate the effectiveness of the response to date; conduct field visits; participate in U.N. water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and health cluster meetings; and review proposals from humanitarian partners to program the $6.2 million committed by USAID/OFDA in response to the cholera outbreak.
- In discussions with partners, USAID/DART staff have encouraged approaches such as prioritization of an early warning system to alert humanitarian organizations to new outbreaks, increased hygiene promotion in areas with rising cholera caseloads, and additional monitoring in areas at potential risk for outbreaks, including high-density urban and peri-urban areas lacking adequate WASH infrastructure.
NUMBERS AT A GLANCE | SOURCE | |
| Total Reported Cholera Cases in Zimbabwe | 20,896 | OCHA – December 18, 2008 |
| Total Reported Cholera Deaths in Zimbabwe | 1,123 | OCHA – December 18, 2008 |
| Reported Cholera Case Fatality Rate in Zimbabwe | 5.4 percent | OCHA – December 18, 2008 |
FY 2009 HUMANITARIAN FUNDING PLEDGED TO ZIMBABWE FOR THE CHOLERA OUTBREAK
USAID/OFDA Assistance to Zimbabwe: $6,200,000
TotalUSAID Humanitarian Assistance to Zimbabwe for the Cholera Outbreak: $6,200,000
CURRENT SITUATION
- According to USAID/DART staff and relief agencies, a breakdown in water and sanitation infrastructure has exacerbated Zimbabwe's cholera outbreak, and the nation's collapsed health system is unable to respond adequately. On December 3, the Government of Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Welfare (MOHCW) requested international assistance to respond to the cholera outbreak.
- As of December 18, OCHA had reported a CFR of 5.4 percent in Zimbabwe, substantially above relief agencies' accepted norm of 1 percent. USAID/DART staff and relief agencies have expressed concern that cholera rates may rise with the onset of the rainy season in the coming weeks, as rains typically exacerbate the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera.
- On December 16, WHO published the first epidemiologic report of the cholera situation in Zimbabwe. The report analyzed trends since the beginning of the outbreak in the Harare suburb of Chitungwiza on August 20. Following a late October outbreak in the Harare suburb of Budiriro, cholera quickly expanded to an additional 46 districts from November 1 to 15.
- On December 12, the U.S. Embassy in Gaborone reported five confirmed cholera deaths in Botswana, all among Zimbabwe nationals. As of December 12, the Government of South Africa reported 11 cholera deaths and 859 cases, with a CFR of 1.2 percent, primarily in Vhembe District, Limpopo Province. On December 11, the Limpopo provincial government declared a disaster due to the cholera outbreak.
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