The World Health Organisation this week reported that the number of people who have died from cholera in the country has topped 4,000, with over 89,000 infected by the disease, but there has been a decline in new cases.
WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said they have recorded a certain decline in cases and deaths from week to week since the start of the new year. Last week WHO identified 2,151 new cases - a figure that well down from the 8,000 per week at the beginning of the year.
Lack of clean water together with the blocked sewage systems and the uncollected refuse overflowing in the streets has been at the center of this cholera outbreak, according to a report released in February by Medecins Sans Frontiere.
Now analysts are expressing shock at reports that the African regional office of the World Health Organisation, based in Harare, has done little to help with the cholera outbreak. Critics say the regional office has been ineffective because of mismanagement and a ‘cosy’ relationship with the government.
The South African based Mail and Guardian reports that health activists and academics have told them the regional office’s response to the outbreak was disastrously slow, despite the fact that it has a US$1.2 billion biennial budget at its disposal.
Observers have said that WHO-Afro is seen by many as an employment option in retirement, often employing ex-ministers. As one observer pointed out; ‘It is difficult to be critical when "you're sitting in cahoots with the
government.’
But other governments have been trying to help Zimbabwe pick up the pieces of its shattered health system. On Wednesday the Australian government lifted it’s long standing ban on non humanitarian aid and announced it would provide about US$10 million to repair the water, sanitation and health services that have been left in ruins by the ZANU PF government.
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