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News/Event Item
Zimbabwe: Cholera Strikes the Capital
February 1, 2007
Four of 12 suspected cases of cholera have so far been confirmed in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, according to the city's director of health services.
The source of the waterborne disease, an intestinal infection leading to severe dehydration from chronic diarrhoea and vomiting, which can result in death within 24 hours if left untreated, may have been caused by a discharge of untreated effluent into the reservoir supplying the capital with drinking water two weeks ago.
However, other observers say that the failure to distribute water by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA), the parastatal supplier, has resulted in many people drawing water from shallow wells, which are also suspected of harbouring cholera bacteria.
Copyright © IRIN 2007
For the full article, visit:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57253&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=ZIMBABWE
category: News from Other Sources : General Health News
contributed by Winnie Mutch on 1 February 2007
Africa :
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