Zimbabwean capital, Harare, hit by cholera outbreak

Health officials in Zimbabwe said Thursday a cholera outbreak had hit the capital Harare, killing one person and leaving 20 others hospitalised. Many parts of the country have been hit by cholera outbreaks in recent weeks, killing a total of 27 people. Health officials said several suburbs of Harare had reported cholera cases, prompting the health ministry to set up a surveillance unit to deal with the crisis. “As a ministry, we are worried by the way the disease is spreading across the country, but we are putting measures to eradicate it,” Health Minister David Parirenyatwa said. The outbreaks are being blamed on poor sanitation, especially lack of clean water supplies, in many urban areas of the country.