CHIPINGE – Zimbabwe has recorded a dozen new cases of cholera in an outlying rural district, days after the United Nations (UN) raised fears of a fresh outbreak of the disease in the country with new rains coming in less than 12 weeks.

In an alert circulated at the weekend among non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in Zimbabwe, aid officials said 12 cases of cholera were detected in Chibuwe district near Chipinge farming town, more than 300km south-east of Harare. 

There were no fatalities recorded, with 10 patients successfully treated and discharged from hospital while two were being held for observation. But NGOs – that quickly dispatched workers to Chibuwe last Friday – expressed fears the disease could spread especially with doctors on strike.

“The outbreak of cholera in Chibuwe has caused panic among community members and health personnel. The cases are sporadic as they are reported in different villages. Nurse in charge at Chibuwe clinic fears that there is likely to be more cholera cases in the area,” read the NGO alert that was shown to ZimOnline.

Zimbabwe Health Minister Henry Madzorera was not immediately available for comment on the matter.

A cholera epidemic that coincided with a doctors strike killed 4 288 people out of 98 592 infections between August 2008 and July 2009.

UN officials last week said Zimbabwe’s humanitarian situation remained precarious and that the same problems that helped spread cholera remained unresolved, with six million people or half of the country’s total population of 12 million people with little or no access to safe water and sanitation.

Doctors went on strike two weeks ago to press the cash-strapped government for more pay, while Madzorera last week reported Zimbabwe’s first confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1) or swine flu, to highlight a looming health and humanitarian crisis in the southern African country.

Zimbabwe’s power-sharing government between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has promised to rebuild the economy and restore basic services such as water supplies, health and education that had virtually collapsed after years of recession.

But the administration, which says it needs US$10 billion to revive the economy, has found it hard to undertake any meaningful reconstruction work after failing to get financial support from rich Western nations that remain reluctant to help until they are convinced that Mugabe is committed to genuinely share power with Tsvangirai.

By Zimonline