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Irish donation to ease Zimbabwe cholera crisis

Irish donation to ease Zimbabwe cholera crisis

November 27, 2018

Cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe
from AKANI CHAUKE in Pretoria, South Africa
PRETORIA, (CAJ News) – IRELAND has provided €250 000 (R3,9 million) to help alleviate the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe.

The Irish Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, confirmed the funding to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to deliver emergency water, sanitation and health (WASH) services in Harare.

This support forms part of Ireland’s response to the cholera outbreak, which has claimed the lives of dozens of people so far.

The partnership with UNICEF also complements Ireland’s work in the health sector, where the European country is supporting interventions to improve maternal and child health.

Latest situation reports indicate that new infections have slowed down to less than 50 suspected cases reported per day, down from over 200 at the peak of the outbreak in Zimbabwe.

The UN’s World Health Organisation (WHO) insists that while the outbreak has slowed down, it has not yet been contained, hence the health sector would continue to need external support for some time to come.

Cholera is spread mostly by unsafe water and unsafe food that has been contaminated with human feces containing the bacteria.

More than 4 000 people died in 2008 following the worst outbreak to
afflict Zimbabwe.

– CAJ News

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