Zimbabwe - Cholera Outbreak Factsheet #10
On February 20, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that the outbreak remained uncontrolled. OCHA noted that approximately 68 percent of total cases reported to date have originated in Harare, Manicaland, Mashonaland West, and Masvingo provinces, in Zimbabwe's northern and southeastern regions. ' On February 24, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that Zimbabwean migrants in the town of Musina, near the Zimbabwean border in Limpopo Province, South Africa, lack sufficient access to water and sanitation facilities. Inadequate water and sanitation could potentially result in further spread of cholera, according to IOM. On February 9, OCHA reported 3,525 cholera cases and 16 cholera deaths in Limpopo Province since November 15, 2008. The overall CFR in Limpopo Province remains below relief agencies' emergency threshold of 1 percent. To date in FY 2009, USAID/OFDA has provided $400,000 for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs to assist Zimbabwean migrants in Limpopo Province and help prevent further spread of the disease.