Cholera

The World Health Organization said Friday that Zimbabwe's cholera epidemic is not under control; cholera outbreaks have become more frequent in Zimbabwe since the early 1990s, but recent political crisis, which has seen the economy collapse and health care system break down, has enabled the disease to spread rapidly. About 14,000 people are reported to have been infected while another 600 have succumbed to the disease, the figure can be significantly higher together with unreported cases. As usual, Robert Mugabe's government denied any cholera outbreak, instead accused former colonial power Britain of starting that "genocidal" cholera epidemic and the west "racist" attempts to topple his government.

Cholera, which is transmitted through food and water, is an infectious illness that can kill its victims within hours of contraction. Once the bacteria enter the body, they release a toxin that causes the intestine's pump to suck all the water from the body. In its severe form, cholera is one of the world's most fatal illnesses. Within an hour of the onset of symptoms, a healthy person can become crippled from rapid dehydration, nosebleeds, dry skin, tiredness, diarrhea, vomiting and cramps. The only way to treat it is to give the body enough fluids to survive until the bacteria's life cycle ends, which is usually about five days.

The only real prevention for the disease is good hygiene. Sterilization, sewage treatment, water purification and good food practice are ways of preventing and containing the spread of the disease. But in Zimbabwe, where there is wide spread hunger and no water, let alone clean water, it is difficult to even start tackling the problem.