12 December 2008
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed today that the worst cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe's history, contrary to remarks by the country's President, is far from over, as United Nations agencies appealed for more funds to tackle the crisis and the effects of collapsing social services.
Media reports have quoted Robert Mugabe as saying that the outbreak, which the UN World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed has led to nearly 800 deaths, is under control.
"I cannot agree that the cholera epidemic is over," Mr. Ban told a news conference in Geneva.
"The reports I have been receiving ... are alarming," he said. "There are still many people who are suffering from this epidemic."
WHO said today that the current cholera outbreak - an acute intestinal infection caused by contaminated food or water - is the most serious ever registered in Zimbabwe, with some 16,700 cases so far.
"I don't believe the cholera outbreak is under control as of now," WHO's Fadéla Chaib told reporters in Geneva.
The agency is seeking $6 million to control the outbreak, which has also spread to neighbouring South Africa and, to a lesser extent, to Botswana and Mozambique. There are about 750 cases and 11 deaths so far in South Africa.
In addition, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) today appealed for $17.5 million to enable it to scale up its cholera response, provide incentives for teachers to return to work, procure essential medicines for hospitals and help get social services back on track.
"The situation in Zimbabwe is dire and our response has to match the severity," said UNICEF Acting Representative Roeland Monasch, "Assistance needs to be taken to scale and it has to happen urgently.
"For this to happen we need resources. The deepening crisis in Zimbabwe comes amidst growing food insecurity, the HIV/AIDS epidemic and poses the worst threat to child survival and development in 20 years."
UNICEF has been providing intravenous fluids, drips, tents and beds for cholera treatment centres, as well as trucking 470,000 litres of water per day, drilling boreholes, and distributing water purification tools to more than 3.5 million Zimbabweans.
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What a total Crock. It would be a good laugh if so many people weren't dying (800+), the plague is still spreading and the government is totally incapable of doing anything about it. Methinks the Herald has brought a group of North Korean propagandists in to write their editorials. It sure sounds like the garbage that comes out of Pyongyang, which normally is always delusional. I wrote the Herald off long ago as a propaganda rag, read only by fools.
Dude, you are completely off your rockers. Who are these North Koreans rocking your boneheaded 'brain'? You must be completely naive: you did read the Herald, otherwise your would not be making the xenophobic comments about the North Koreans.
Have you met all North Koreans, dude?
Who gives a rat's tail if some dude from DixieTexas "writes off the North Koreans."
May I remind you that Condo, neo-con Rice meets with "the North Koreans."
Or, do you imagine, in your volcanic delusional self-apperception that you are 'better' than Condo?
Yes or no: are you 'better' than Professor Rice?
My name is Bob, I'm a Texan. I've spent a lot of time in your country before you were born...Knock off the Dude crap
DUDE from DixieTexas, I don't give a rat's tail if you spent centuries in "my country" before I was born.
Here, we reflect, argue, throw rhetorical bombs, and engage in reflective catfights.
Here, we care not about your origin or your age. Get it? Dude, back off the country of origin and age crap! We DON'T OR SHOULD NOT care about such ephemeral matters in Africa; perhaps, you do in Texas. If you do, then its your bag, not mine: put a dip in your hip, and a funky stroke in your stride and style with us: Africans, for we are a cool people, despite THE CENTURIES OLD REACTION.
What, in the name of the defeated Confederacy, does YOUR TIME SPENT IN ZIMBABWE have to do with the price of tea even in Odinga's Kenya?
What will you do if I refuse "to knock off the Dude crap"?
Nicht; Nada; Natin.
Accordingly, I WILL NOT KNOCK THE DUDE CRAP, A DETERMINATION OR PREDICATE OR WHATEVER that, IN MY OPINION, perspicuously and objectively applies to you, D U D E; DUDE---AND NOW---all together: DUDE.
Cheers from Comedy Central in Harare, the city of the hardest, TOUGHEST people of Africa, Zims, IN MY OPINION.
"Here, we care not about your origin or your age. Get it? Dude, back off the country of origin and age crap! We DON'T OR SHOULD NOT care about such ephemeral matters in Africa"
More lies Shallow-head? How can you say that when clearly the land policies of Mugabe are 100% based upon these "ephemeral" matters?
Another one to add to your lie about 1 million children getting raped in the UK this year already?
A reply on topic please. Else we will simply see you have no substance or argument to back up anything you say once again.
BONEHEAD, I finally got you to fess up, dude.
Your real beef with the AFRICAN is that he took back BY FORCE what the REACTION stole, under Rhodes and company.
Glory to the African warrior, then!
It has always been about the land, dude. Did you imagine I did not know that, bonehead?
May I assure you BONEHEAD that THE LAND WILL NEVER REVERT. GET IT?
NEVER.
The land ain't no ephemeral matter. Right, a zillion times.
It belongs to Africans, and the Africans got it now: and, there ain't crap YOU OR THE TAILS OF THE TAILS OF THE TAILS OF THE REACTION CAN DO ABOUT IT.
GET IT, BONEHEAD?
So you are saying that your statement:
"Here, we care not about your origin or your age. Get it? Dude, back off the country of origin and age crap! We DON'T OR SHOULD NOT care about such ephemeral matters in Africa"
Is wrong? Clearly where people come from does matter to you, as clearly you are against a white person owning land in Zimbabwe. So your statement is clearly hypocritical.
So tell us, why do you condone and support that beats and rapes and murders your fellow Zimbabweans? Why do you support someone that willingly altered the GNU agreement without informing the other parties? Why do you support someone that allows human rights activists to be abducted? Why do you support a leader who does not allow freedom of speech to reign in Zimbabwe? Why do support a leader that denies the very existence of cholera when so many of your brothers and sisters are dying from it? How much are they paying you?
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Active Discussions: UN Chief Says Cholera Epidemic Not Over