By Ebi Kesiena
A state of emergency has been declared in the capital city of Harare, Zimbabwe, due to an outbreak of cholera.
The outbreak has so far killed dozens of people with more than 7,000 suspected cases.
The city authorities say the outbreak, spreading throughout the city, has invoked memories of a deadly outbreak in 2008, in which thousands died.
“We have declared a state of emergency because of cholera,” local media quoted Mayor Ian Makone as saying.
The authorities are now asking for help to contain the spread and provide safe water, saying the aid being received is inadequate.
According to the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), health authorities have been struggling to contain the high number of admissions following the outbreak, noting that lack of health workers to manage these cases, as well as lack of supplies to stop the transmission.
Zimbabwe has been battling the deadly cholera outbreak in recent months amid a lack of access to clean water.
The epicentre of the latest outbreak is Harare’s high-density suburb of Kuwadzana, which accounts for nearly half the reported cases, according to the authorities.
Cholera, an acute diarrhoeal infection is caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.
On Thursday, the Harare mayor said the cholera outbreak had similarities to the 2008 outbreak.
The outbreak then led to the deaths of over 4,000 people, with at least 100,000 were infected, which led to the paralysis of basic services in the country.
