Cholera spreading in Zimbabwe

United Nations, 20 February 2009 - Daily Briefing by the office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. New figures of suspected cholera cases in Zimbabwe has exceeded 80,000. Cholera has been blamed for 3,759 recent deaths in Zimbabwe where all 10 of the countries provinces are affected. Other countries where cholera has been reported include Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia, but it has to be noted that cholera is endemic in these countries, according to the World Heath Organization (WHO). WHO together with its partners, has set up a Cholera Command and Control Centre in the capital, Harare. The role of the Centre is to coordinate the response to the cholera outbreak and provide technical coordination for partners in the areas of epidemiological and laboratory surveillance, case management, social mobilization, logistics and infection control of water and sanitation in treatment centres.

View the entire briefing (Real Media, 23 minutes):
http://webcast.un.org/ramgen/ondemand/pressbriefing/2009/brief090220.rm

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• United Nations
• UN
• Ban Ki-moon
• UN Secretary-General
• Zimbabwe
• Cholera
• WHO