Image copyright AFP Image caption More than 3,000 people have been infected with cholera

Zimbabwe has launched a crowdfunding campaign to deal with an outbreak of cholera that has so far killed 25 people, mostly in the capital, Harare.

New Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube sent an appeal on Twitter, sharing a mobile payment account number.

An emergency has been declared and public gatherings banned in Harare to prevent the spread of infection.

Some Zimbabweans have criticised the fundraising plan on Twitter, accusing the state of misusing public money.

In 2008, a cholera outbreak killed some 4,000 people and at least 100,000 people fell ill.

This was a key factor in persuading President Robert Mugabe to agree a power-sharing government with the opposition, as the government did not have the money to deal with the outbreak.

The current outbreak began on 6 September after water wells were contaminated with sewage in Harare.

Tests found the presence of cholera and typhoid-causing bacteria which has so far infected over 3,000 people, Health Minister Obadiah Moyo told reporters on Thursday.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), patients were not responding to first-line antibiotics.

"Relevant medicines should be purchased as a matter of urgency as soon as resistance patterns have been ascertained," it said.

WHO also said the disease has spread to five of the country's 10 provinces.

'Inauguration' postponed

The health emergency has forced the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to postpone this weekend's mock inauguration of its leader, Nelson Chamisa, as president.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Nelson Chamisa says he won the July presidential election

Mr Chamisa has refused to back down from his claim that he won the 30 July election, even after the Constitutional Court dismissed his legal challenge against President Emmerson Mnangagwa's victory.

The police had earlier withdrawn their permission for it go ahead, citing the ban on public gatherings imposed because of the cholera outbreak.

His party now says the swearing in will be held at a "later date".

Guaranteed healthcare pledge

The cholera outbreak can be traced to Harare city council's struggle to supply water to some suburbs for more than a decade, forcing residents to rely on water from open wells and community boreholes, according to Reuters news agency.

Health officials are advising people to wash their hands regularly, drink only safe water, wash food, cook it thoroughly and avoid shaking hands.

The government-controlled Herald reports that the crowdfunding campaign has already received some backers including telecommunication giant Econet Wireless, which has contributed $10m (£7m).

The Zimbabwe Red Cross Society has launched its own appeal.

Mr Ncube's plan has been condemned on social media:

Lawyer Fadzayi Mahere wanted to remind newly elected President Emmerson Mnangagwa of his campaign promise:

This user saw the campaign as another ploy from the political class:

While Twitter user Bruce Zvandasara said it was more worthwhile than the opposition's call for funds to pay for their legal challenge to Mr Mnangagwa's July election victory:

This Twitter user wondered why the government had the money to charter a private plane to bring back former first lady Grace Mugabe from Singapore when her mother died, but does not have funds to deal with a public health emergency:

Correction 19 September 2018: This story was amended to say that the Zimbabwe Red Cross has set up its own cholera appeal rather than contributing to the crowdfunding scheme.</s>Zimbabwe has declared a cholera outbreak in the capital, Harare, after the death toll rose to 20 and more than 2,000 people were infected after drinking contaminated water, new Health Minister Obadiah Moyo said on Tuesday.

“We are declaring an emergency for Harare. This will enable us to contain cholera, typhoid and whatever is going on.

“We don’t want any further deaths,” Moyo said after touring a hospital treating patients in the capital.

NAN reports that authorities on Monday said 18 people have died over the past week in Harare and scores fallen ill after a cholera and typhoid outbreak in some areas.

Such outbreaks are common as local authorities are battling to provide potable water and sanitation facilities in the city, where slums without running water have mushroomed and whose infrastructure is falling apart due to years of neglect.

Some suburbs go for weeks without running water forcing residents to fetch water from unsafe sources.

NAN also reports that there was a cholera epidemic from August 2008 until June 2009.

The outbreak began in Chitungwiza in Mashonaland East Province in August 2008, then spread throughout the country so that by December 2008, cases were being reported in all 10 provinces.

In December 2008, the Zimbabwean government declared the outbreak a national emergency and requested international aid.

The outbreak peaked in January 2009 with 8,500 cases reported per week.

Cholera cases from this outbreak were also reported in neighbouring countries South Africa, Malawi, Botswana, Mozambique, and Zambia.

With the help of international agencies, the outbreak was controlled, and by July 2009, after no cases had been reported for several weeks, the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Welfare declared the outbreak over.

In total, 98,596 cases of cholera and 4,369 deaths were reported, making this the largest outbreak of cholera ever recorded in Zimbabwe.

The large scale and severity of the outbreak has been attributed to poor sanitation, limited access to healthcare, and insufficient healthcare infrastructure throughout Zimbabwe.</s>Harare/Brazzaville 13 September 2018 - The World Health Organization (WHO) is scaling up its response to an outbreak of cholera in Zimbabwe, which is expanding quickly in Harare, the country’s capital with a population of more than two million people.

Cholera is an acute waterborne diarrhoeal disease that is preventable if people have access to safe water and sanitation and practice good hygiene, but can kill within hours if left untreated. Authorities report that the outbreak began on 1 September in Harare and as of that date to 11 September, the Ministry of Health and Child Care reports that there have been nearly 2000 suspected cholera cases, including 58 confirmed cases and 24 deaths.

Glenview, a high density suburb of Harare with an active trading area and a highly mobile population, is at the epicentre of the outbreak. The area is vulnerable to cholera because of inadequate supplies of safe piped water, which has led people to use alternative unsafe supplies such as wells and boreholes. Cases that are linked to the epicenter in Harare have been confirmed in 5 additional provinces.

The Government of Zimbabwe has declared a state of emergency and is working with international partners to rapidly expand recommended cholera response actions, including increasing access to clean and safe water in the most affected communities and decommissioning contaminated water supplies. Authorities and partners are also intensifying health education to ensure that suspect cases seek care immediately and establishing cholera treatment centres closer to affected communities.

“When cholera strikes a major metropolis such as Harare, we need to work fast to stop the spread of the disease before it gets out of control,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Regional Director for Africa. “WHO is working closely with the national authorities and partners to urgently respond to this outbreak.”

WHO is supporting the Ministry of Health and Child Care to fight the outbreak by strengthening the coordination of the response and mobilizing national and international health experts to form a cholera surge team. In collaboration with health authorities and partners, WHO experts are helping to track down cases, providing technical support to laboratories and improving diagnostics and strengthening infection and prevention control in communities and health facilities. In addition to such measures and efforts to improve water and sanitation, the government is assessing the benefits of conducting an oral cholera vaccine (OCV) campaign and WHO is deploying an expert in OCV campaigns to Harare.

WHO is providing cholera kits which contain oral rehydration solution, intravenous fluids and antibiotics to cholera treatment centres.

Zimbabwe has experienced frequent outbreaks of cholera, with the largest outbreak occurring from August 2008 to May 2009 and claiming more than 4000 lives.

Cholera is a major public health problem in the African region and just two weeks ago Health Ministers from the region committed to ending cholera outbreaks by 2030 by implementing key strategies. Forty-seven African countries adopted the Regional Framework for the Implementation of the Global Strategy for Cholera Prevention and Control at the 68th session of WHO’s Regional Committee for Africa.

For Additional Information or to Request Interviews, Please contact:</s>HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) – Zimbabwe’s new government is battling criticism over a cholera outbreak that has killed at least 25 people.

A crowdfunding initiative by the finance minister amid reports of government spending on new vehicles for Cabinet members has only swelled public anger.

Some local non-governmental organizations are blaming the government for the deaths in an outbreak that is spreading beyond the capital and raising fears of a repeat of the 2008 epidemic that killed over 4,000 people.

Zimbabwe Health Minister Obadiah Moyo washes his hands before entering a cholera quarantine area in Harare, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, after a cholera emergency was declared in Zimbabwe’s capital following the deaths of more than 20 people. The deaths in Harare have many fearing a repeat of the outbreak that killed thousands in 2008.(AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

The government says it is committed to ending the outbreak, and Health Minister Obadiah Moyo says it is not time “for a blame game.”

United Nations agencies such as the World Health Organization say they have intervened to assist the southern African country whose economy collapsed under former leader Robert Mugabe, who resigned in November.

A health worker screens mothers and their children for possible symptoms of cholera in a quarantine area in Harare, Friday, Sept, 14, 2018, after a cholera emergency was declared following the deaths of more than 20 people. The deaths in Harare have many fearing a repeat of the outbreak that killed thousands in 2008.(AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

Mothers and their babies suspected to have cholera wait to be screened in a quarantine area in Harare, Friday, Sept, 14, 2018, after a cholera emergency was declared following the deaths of more than 20 people. The deaths in Harare have many fearing a repeat of the outbreak that killed thousands in 2008.(AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)</s>The death toll from a cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe has risen to 25, the government said Thursday as the World Health Organisation warned that the water-borne disease is spreading rapidly in the capital Harare.

"There are now 3,766 cases. The number of deaths is now 25," Health Minister Obadiah Moyo told journalists.

The WHO said it was "scaling up its response" to contain the outbreak which it said was "expanding quickly in Harare" -- a city of more than two million people.

At least one of the deaths was recorded outside the capital, in the southeast district of Masvingo.

"When cholera strikes a major metropolis such as Harare, we need to work fast to stop the spread of the disease before it gets out of control," Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, said in a statement.

A WHO situation report revealed that first-line antibiotics were struggling to treat the disease, which has spread to five of the country's 10 provinces.

"There is resistance to the first-line medicine," the report said, with tests suggesting antibiotic drugs ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone could be ineffective and the alternative drug azithromycin was not available.

"Relevant medicines should be purchased as a matter of urgency as soon as resistance patterns have been ascertained," it recommended.

The cholera outbreak, first detected in the township of Glen View outside Harare on September 5, prompted the health ministry to declare an emergency in the city.

Authorities have banned public gatherings in Harare while health ministry personnel are supervising burials of victims.

The University of Zimbabwe, the country's largest, said it had postponed indefinitely this year's graduation ceremony which was due on Friday following the cholera outbreak.

The ban could also affect a rally by the main opposition on Saturday at which the party has planned a mock inauguration for its leader Nelson Chamisa whom supporters say was denied victory in July elections by fraud.

The WHO reported that health personnel face shortages of medicine and intravenous fluid as well as sewer blockages, lack of protective clothing and erratic water supplies.

Cholera outbreaks have occurred regularly in Zimbabwe's cities where supplies of potable water and sanitation facilities are scarce.

Informal housing areas without running water have mushroomed, and basic infrastructure has collapsed due to years of neglect.

Tests from some wells and boreholes showed water was contaminated with cholera and typhoid-causing bacteria.

Zimbabwe, which was ruled by Robert Mugabe from independence in 1980 until his ousting last year, suffered its worst cholera outbreak in 2008.

A total of 4,000 people died and at least 100,000 people fell ill.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who succeeded Mugabe, has pledged to tackle the current outbreak.

UNICEF advised Zimbabweans to prevent cholera spreading by regular hand-washing, drinking only safe water, washing food, cooking it throughly and avoiding shaking hands.</s>HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - Zimbabwe's new government is battling criticism over a cholera outbreak that has killed at least 25 people.

A crowdfunding initiative by the finance minister amid reports of government spending on new vehicles for Cabinet members has only swelled public anger.

Some local non-governmental organizations on Friday blamed the government for the deaths in an outbreak that is spreading beyond the capital and raising fears of a repeat of the 2008 epidemic that killed over 4,000 people.

"It is alarming and quite unusual for such a medieval and preventable disease to continue to claim such valuable lives in this day and age," said the Civil Society Health Emergency Response Coordinating Committee in a statement. It warned that government failure to "guarantee the right to health is a serious violation of both local and international law."

The government, which this week declared an emergency, has said it is committed to ending the outbreak. Health Minister Obadiah Moyo, while visiting a suburb identified as the epicenter of the outbreak on Friday, said it is not time "for a blame game."

United Nations agencies such as the World Health Organization say they have intervened to assist the southern African country whose economy collapsed under former leader Robert Mugabe, who resigned in November under military pressure.

Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube used Twitter to announce a crowdfunding initiative to help fight the outbreak, infuriating some Zimbabweans long frustrated by the country's currency crisis and high unemployment rate.

A health worker screens mothers and their children for possible symptoms of cholera in a quarantine area in Harare, Friday, Sept, 14, 2018, after a cholera emergency was declared following the deaths of more than 20 people. The deaths in Harare have many fearing a repeat of the outbreak that killed thousands in 2008.(AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

Mothers and their babies suspected to have cholera wait to be screened in a quarantine area in Harare, Friday, Sept, 14, 2018, after a cholera emergency was declared following the deaths of more than 20 people. The deaths in Harare have many fearing a repeat of the outbreak that killed thousands in 2008.(AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)</s>Zimbabwe’s government has declared a state of emergency in the capital Harare after 20 people died of cholera.

At least 2000 cases have been recorded, according to the country’s health minister Obediah Moyo, who warned the disease was spreading across Zimbabwe.

“We are declaring an emergency for Harare.

This will enable us to contain the cholera, typhoid and whatever is going on, to get rid of the problem as quickly as possible,” Moyo said Tuesday while visiting areas most affected by the outbreak in the city.

Poor waste disposal systems and broken sewers which may have contaminated water sources in Harare have been blamed for the disease outbreak, the health minister said.

Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness that kills thousands of people worldwide each year.

In 2008, more than 4,000 people were killed in one of the worst cholera outbreaks to have hit the country, according to the World Health Organization.

UNICEF said it was assisting Zimbabwe’s government to deploy more resources to affected areas to combat the present outbreak.

“We have also alerted our regional offices and headquarters because we know this is a very serious issue, which will need quite huge investments to contain the outbreak.

We are working very hard to help the government,” UNICEF Representative in Zimbabwe Mohamed Ayoya said.

Calvin Fambirai, head of Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights, called on the government to provide better waste disposal systems, particularly in densely-populated areas of the city to forestall future outbreaks of water-borne diseases.

“The conditions that necessitate the spread of cholera and typhoid in Zimbabwe have not changed since the 2008 outbreak.

They have worsened because their is no political will to tackle it,” Fambirai said.

The disease is rare in industrialized nations but it occurs frequently in many countries in parts of Africa, especially in areas with poor or inadequate water treatment, sanitation and hygiene practices.

According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the disease is contracted by consuming food or water contaminated with the fecal bacteria Vibrio cholerae.</s>The death toll from a cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe has risen to 25, the government said Thursday as the World Health …Read more via ModernGhana News – https://ift.tt/2p3AblC Get more World News</s>HARARE, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe's new government is battling criticism over a cholera outbreak that has killed at least 25 people.

A crowdfunding initiative by the finance minister amid reports of government spending on new vehicles for Cabinet members has only swelled public anger.

Some local non-governmental organizations on Friday blamed the government for the deaths in an outbreak that is spreading beyond the capital and raising fears of a repeat of the 2008 epidemic that killed over 4,000 people.

"It is alarming and quite unusual for such a medieval and preventable disease to continue to claim such valuable lives in this day and age," said the Civil Society Health Emergency Response Coordinating Committee in a statement. It warned that government failure to "guarantee the right to health is a serious violation of both local and international law."

The government, which this week declared an emergency, has said it is committed to ending the outbreak. Health Minister Obadiah Moyo, while visiting a suburb identified as the epicenter of the outbreak on Friday, said it is not time "for a blame game."

United Nations agencies such as the World Health Organization say they have intervened to assist the southern African country whose economy collapsed under former leader Robert Mugabe, who resigned in November under military pressure.

Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube used Twitter to announce a crowdfunding initiative to help fight the outbreak, infuriating some Zimbabweans long frustrated by the country's currency crisis and high unemployment rate.</s>THE death toll due to the cholera outbreak that has hit Harare and other parts of the country has increased to 25, with more than 3 700 people hospitalised as government availed a paltry $1 million to fight the disease.

Harare mayor Herbert Gomba and acting town clerk, Hosiah Chisango said government had availed

$1 million towards the pandemic while council has moved in to deal with sewer bursts and other public health challenges that have been linked to the outbreak.

“We are working 24/7 and our teams are working so hard to contain the situation.

We have government coming in in a big way and we really appreciate the gesture we have received so far,” Gomba said.

“We are working so hard to ensure we stop further spread of the disease and also curb deaths by all account.

We are grateful to government, our parent ministry, the Ministry of Health as well as other agencies that have come in.”

Besides government, the presidential fund also donated $100 000 towards the fight against cholera and telecommunications operator Econet Wireless also came in with $10 million.

Early this week, government declared the outbreak a state of emergency.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday called for more corporate bodies to chip in with resources to fight cholera

“Meanwhile, let me assure you the nation that the health and well-being of every citizen throughout the country will remain a top priority under my administration,” he said in Bulawayo.

“I also call on local authorities to ensure responsive, efficient and consistent waste management systems in all areas throughout the country.”

The University of Zimbabwe yesterday postponed this year’s graduation, which was set for today.

Acting Vice-Chancellor Paul Mapfumo made the announcement to graduands who had turned up for rehearsals at the country’s oldest university ahead of the graduation.

The new graduation date will be announced in due course.

However, some students who spoke to NewsDay on condition of anonymity complained over the late notice, saying they had used a lot of money to bring some relatives, with some coming from rural areas.

The Primary and Secondary Education ministry has also cancelled World Literacy Day commemorations, which were scheduled for today at St Albert’s Mission in Centenary, Mashonaland Central province, today due to the cholera outbreak.

Amnesty International said the outbreak highlighted lack of investment in infrastructure and health system.

Initial cases of cholera were reported in Gweru and Harare last month and the capital is now the worst affected area.

The 2008 cholera outbreak, which claimed over 4 500 lives, was the largest ever recorded in Zimbabwe.

“Unless urgent action is taken, the death toll of this current epidemic is also likely to be significant.

The current cholera epidemic is a terrible consequence of Zimbabwe’s failure to invest in and manage both its basic water and sanitation infrastructure and its health care system.

It is appalling that in 2018, people are still dying of such a preventable disease,” Amnesty International Zimbabwe executive director, Jessica Pwiti said.

Harare Residents’ Trust director Precious Shumba accused council of misplaced priorities, resulting in the outbreak.

Speaking during an Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) Conversations, Shumba said the existing infrastructure could no longer sustain sprouting residential areas, resulting in unending burst sewer pipes and poor service delivery.

“What we are a witnessing is a total overthrow of urban planning regulations where people are using their power to gain popularity instead of serving the people,” he said.

“The cholera outbreak that we are having right now is as a result of negligence by council.

They have failed to give protective clothing to their health workers, but you see their top management driving state-of-the-art vehicles and going on trips to Victoria Falls, yet they are not attending to the needs of the people.”

Harare City spokesperson Michael Chideme said a holistic approach was needed to deal with cholera, with all stakeholders coming on board to put measures to end primitive diseases.
The death toll from a cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe rises to 25. In response, the government launches a crowdfunding campaign, which has been criticized due to it being started amid allegations of misused state funds.