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Zimbabwe Cholera Deaths Surpass 4,000 Mark: WHO

by VR Sreeraman on Mar 10 2009 2:06 PM

The cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe has claimed more than 4,000 lives and more than 89,000 people have the disease, the World Health Organisation said in a new toll published Monday.

The water-borne disease has killed 4,011 people, according to the latest WHO figures, although a spokeswoman has said the real death toll is higher because of under-reporting due to difficulty in reaching some areas of the country.

Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai announced last Thursday that the death toll had broken through the 4,000 mark, and said the figure was likely an underestimate.

However, the WHO said on Friday the outbreak was showing signs of slowing. Spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said the number of cases had been averaging 4,000 to 4,500 a week recently, compared to peaks of nearly 8,000 earlier in the outbreak.

''We have recorded a certain decline in cases and deaths from week to week,'' she said.

Source-AFP
SRM


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