Zimbabwe - Cholera Outbreak Factsheet #12
On March 17, the U.N. health cluster in Zimbabwe reported that the outbreak remained uncontrolled. However, from March 8 to 14, WHO recorded a significant decline in the weekly rates of reported cholera deaths and new cases compared to the previous week. According to WHO, the figures confirmed the trend in recent weeks of a declining number of deaths and new cases reported nationwide. ' Despite declining weekly rates of new cholera cases and deaths, WHO continues to report high caseloads in several provinces. Between March 8 and 14, cases in Harare and Mashonaland West provinces accounted for more than 50 percent of all new cases. ' As of March 17, the U.N. health cluster reported increasing rates of new cholera cases in several high-density suburbs in recent weeks. According to the USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART), the changing trend indicates the possibility of cholera reinfection in urban areas, where the cholera outbreak began.