OneWorld.net (U.S.)

WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (OneWorld.net) - Tens of thousands of Zimbabweans affected by cholera outbreaks across the country are benefiting from clean water and sanitation programs run by an international anti-hunger group.

• Girl in Zimbabwe. © GlobalGivingThe disintegration of public health services, poor sanitation, high annual inflation, and the start of the rainy season have all converged to allow cholera, a disease described by the World Health Organization as "easily treatable," to thrive in politically conflicted Zimbabwe, according to the humanitarian news agency IRIN. "The spatial distribution of outbreaks will most likely continue to expand, as well as the number of people infected as the water and sanitation [services] worsen, with severe water shortages, sewage, and waste disposal problems reported in most densely populated areas," warned a report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

• Economic woes and food shortages in the eastern African nation are having a negative impact on Zimbabweans living with HIV/AIDS too, said the international development charity Progessio just days ahead of World AIDS Day (Dec. 1). As approximately a third of the population currently depends on food aid, "scores" of people have had to skip or stop taking their medication, in part because the potent drugs can have severe side effects when taken on an empty stomach.

• For background on health, development, and human rights in Zimbabwe, visit OneWorld UK's Zimbabwe country guide.

Containment Efforts Scaled Up as Cholera Sweeps Zimbabwe

ACF expands its emergency water and sanitation programs as the death toll rises

From: Action Against Hunger

November 25, 2008

Harare, Zimbabwe - The international humanitarian organization Action Against Hunger / Action Contre la Faim (ACF) announced a scaling up of its ongoing efforts to address the onset of cholera across southern Zimbabwe. State-owned media announced new cholera outbreaks in the city of Beitbridge on November 18, which to date has claimed more than 300 lives, with more than a 6,000 infections confirmed by medical organizations working in the region.

The most recent outbreak is the fifth since August of this year, bringing the total figure of infections in Zimbabwe to almost 8,400, resulting in at least 328 deaths. This recent proliferation of cholera outbreaks is attributed to the collapse of water and sanitation infrastructure in urban areas, resulting in sewage contaminating the population's water supply. This comes at a time when public heath services have broken down, resulting in long lines of people infected with cholera awaiting medical assistance.

Since the 1st of November, Action Against Hunger has responded to these outbreaks in collaboration with colleague NGOs on the ground and our funding partner ECHO. These ongoing programs provide local populations with access to safe water, ensure emergency sanitation measures, and promote health and hygiene education to stop the spread of this deadly water-borne disease. Action Against Hunger has intervened in the highly populated suburbs of Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, along with new programs launched this week in Beitbridge, ensuring clean water and proper sanitation for the more than 30,000 people affected in the region.

In cooperation with our humanitarian partners on the ground, Action Against Hunger's teams continue to monitor vulnerable areas in order to respond in a timely and coordinated manner. The arrival of the rainy season is another threat to containing these cholera outbreaks.

Action Against Hunger has worked in Zimbabwe since 2002 on water and sanitation programs and food security initiatives.

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