Geneva - A cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe has slowed significantly, the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed on Monday as the number of new cases and the death rate continued to decline.
The number of new cases recorded in the week to March 14 fell to 2 076, against 3 812 the preceding week and about 8 000 cases a week in February, according to the WHO's latest update on the outbreak.
Meanwhile, the death rate has also fallen from a peak of nearly 6% in January to 2.3% of cases by mid-March.
"The situation with the current cholera outbreak is improving," the WHO said.
"While data collection and verification remain a challenge throughout the country... the overall trend over the last two months is of a decreasing number of cases and deaths."
Despite the decline recorded in nearly all provinces, the number of reported cases was on the rise again in and around the capital, Harare.
"The risk of the outbreak restarting in those areas of the country is real," the WHO warned.
By March 17, a total of 91 164 cholera infections, including 4 037 deaths, had occurred since August 2008.
The UN's health agency had already highlighted signs of a slowdown in the outbreak earlier this month.
- AFP
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