United Nations Radio

nurse treating cholera patient

As the cholera crisis continues in Zimbabwe, United Nations relief agencies and their partners are concerned about imminent heavy rains in the country. The sewage system in Zimbabwe is really poor and is contributing to the spread of cholera. There are now more than 18,000 cases of the disease in the country and close to one thousand people have. Paul Garwood of the World Health Organization says the agency is preparing to open a Cholera Command Control Centre in Zimbabwe.

CUT 1: Paul Garwood
It's the vehicle that WHO has set up with the health cluster in support of the Ministry of Health to properly coordinate all the different activities regarding cholera and to better identify where the cases are emerging and better respond to the cases there.

John Roche, the head of operations for Africa at the International Federation of the Red Cross says that as the rains approach, his agency is planning a response.

CUT 2: John Roche
We have offered our services to the government of Zimbabwe. We are in negotiations with the Ministry of Health in looking at a better way that we can scale up and respond immediately. The gaps, it appears, is at the curative level. As you can imagine it's very difficult today in Zimbabwe, medical supplies and... So we are looking at supporting already existing structures and mechanisms and the best way to do that.

PRESENTER:

Mr. Roche says the International Federation of the Red Cross is mobilizing resources and is about to launch an appeal for 9 million dollars within the next day or two.

CUT 3: John Roche
We will concentrate on three main areas: improve access to water. We will support the treatment centres and more importantly because you need the preventative side, as Mat said, we have already started with the distribution of leaflets. We have a very good network working closely with the Zimbabwean Red Cross volunteers. It's about community awareness, take simple steps. It can be done. By informing people to take precautions we can reduce the number of people affected.

PRESENTER:
In the meantime, the International Federation of the Red Cross is continuing to deliver materials to tackle cholera in Zimbabwe. Mathew Cochrane has just returned to Geneva from Southern Africa, including Zimbabwe.

CUT 4: Mathew Cochrane
Last night at about 6:00 o'clock local time a Red Cross truck arrived in Harare and that was carrying four cholera kits and that had enough treatment solution to treat about 4,800 people. There is another eleven on their way. We have also sent in more than half a million water sachets. That's enough to treat I think about 10 million litres of water. These are being distributed and have been distributed over the past few weeks along with about 40,000 public education leaflets in English and Shona explaining very simple steps that people can take to reduce their risk to cholera.

PRESENTER:
As the Christmas season approaches, there is concern that the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe may spread to neighbouring countries. Many Zimbabweans working in South Africa will be returning home for the holidays. The fear is that when they go back to South Africa to resume work, they may bring the disease with them. John Roche says cholera has already crossed the border into South Africa and cases are reported in other countries.

CUT 5: John Roche
The South African government is supporting and sending supplies and medical assistance into Zimbabwe. They have also set up treatment centres on the border which we are supporting through our partner national society, the South African Red Cross. Also in the region we are worried because, of course, we are coming into the rainy season. There is an increase in the case load in Angola, a different dynamics but we could see the region, I mean there are more than 10,000 cases in Angola reported. We also have a similar number over several months, 8,000 cases in Mozambique.

PRESENTER:

At United Nations headquarters in New York, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon briefed the Security Council about the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe. He says the cholera epidemic is only the most visible manifestation of a profound multi-sectoral crisis, encompassing food, agriculture, education, health, water, sanitation and HIV/AIDS.

Producer: Derrick Mbatha
Duration: 3'59"