Zimbabwe cholera outbreak 'national disaster'
Zimbabwean government under pressure to declare outbreak of cholera that has already killed 300 a national disaster
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Wednesday, 26, Nov 2008 12:57
The Zimbabwean government is under pressure to declare an outbreak of cholera that has already killed 300 people a national disaster.
According to Oxfam, Robert Mugabe's administration should declare the outbreak a national disaster to mobilise international aid.
"The government of Zimbabwe should declare the current cholera epidemic a national health emergency so that urgent national and international aid can be mobilised to address the outbreak," the aid agency's regional director for southern Africa Charles Abani said in a statement.
Two weeks ago, Zimbabwe central bank governor Gideon Gono dismissed demands by health experts for the government to declare the cholera outbreak a national disaster.
Mr Gono said the government had enough resources to contain the spread of cholera.
However, a critical shortage of medicines and drugs has seen Mr Mugabe's administration fail to contain a cholera outbreak that has spread to nine of the ten country's provinces, and spilled over to neighbouring South Africa.
About three South Africans have been reported dead after contracting the deadly cholera that is blamed on Zimbabwe's dilapidated sewers, uncollected garbage and a shortage of clean drinking water.
The Oxfam regional director added: "The government of Zimbabwe must acknowledge the extent of the crisis and take immediate steps to mobilise all available resources to deal with the epidemic."
Calls for Mr Mugabe's government to allow for international assistance to deal with the cholera outbreak comes days after the Harare administration barred the Elders, a group of leading human rights activists and statesmen, to visit the country to assess the humanitarian crisis facing the southern African country.
The failure of the government to contain the cholera outbreak has been exacerbated by the collapse of the health delivery sector.
The country's doctors, nurses, support staff and other health professionals recently took to the streets in protest against the collapse of the health delivery system.