Zimbabwe cholera cases on the rise

Per MSNBC, cases of the water-borne disease, cholera, are steadily rising in Zimbabwe. The World Health Organization (WHO) says the disease so far has killed 3,759 people and infected more than 80,000, according to the article.

While cholera is both preventable and treatable, health services have nearly collapsed because of a failing economy and political crisis in Zimbabwe according to MSNBC. As of Feb. 19, 2009, there have been 989 cases and 53 deaths recorded. These numbers have increased and the disease is also spreading to other southern parts of Africa like Kenya.

Some international twitter users are expressing their feelings about this preventable crisis.

@leoh1llary(Sydney, Australia): the vicious circle really is complete with zimbabwe# Yes preventable cholera deaths in garden of Africa are simply a tragedy


@IrisJumbe (Shanghai, China): Listening 2 @bbc5livetalking abt cholera in Zimbabwe & how fatalities keep skyrocketing.This day started out really well. Must ring parents


Health networking sites are reporting on the epidemic.

@snhaifa 10 Cholera cases hit Kenya’s overcrowded refugee camp: Cholera cases hit Kenya's overcrowded refugee..
http://tinyurl.com/dhh2wr


@Medindia Cholera Outbreak In Zimbabwe Exceeds 80,000 Mark: WHO: The number of cases in Zimbabwe's cholera outbreak has ex..http://tinyurl.com/b9oefj


As of today news is spreading about humanitarian teams going into Zimbabwe to figure out ways to manage this crisis.

@LotsaNews [YAHOO][world] UN humanitarian team visits cholera-hit Zimbabwe (AFP) : AFP - A UN humanitarian http://tinyurl.com/bw8bhd


@rnz_news A UN humanitarian team is in Zimbabwe to find ways of curbing a cholera epidemic and the food crisis.http://www.tinyurl.com/aufngu


@SOTTnet UN team visits cholera-hit Zimbabwe: A UN humanitarian team arrived in Zimbabwe on Saturday to confront deadly c.. http://www.tinyurl.com/b6ypzv


@HumanRightsNews Zimbabwe’s Cholera Crisis Worsens-http://is.gd/kjBt-Scoop New Zealand News



The Irish Red Cross doubled funding in hopes of preventing more deaths.

@zimbabwe247
Zimbabwe:Irish Red Cross doubles funds to curb Cholera deaths:
Source:Irish Red Cross-Ireland http://tinyurl.com/d4w4k3


To keep up with the staggering numbers, you can frequently check the World Health Organization website here.

Zimbabwe cholera cases on the rise