Cholera outbreak kills four people in Zimbabwe

At least four people have died and scores of others infected following a cholera outbreak in a town south west of Zimbabwe’s capital Harare.

Authorities say the disease outbreak is linked to water shortages in the mining town of Chegutu, but haven’t ruled out a link to the outbreak in neighbouring Zambia, where more than 60 people have died.

They say the outbreak is under control, despite the rise in the number of cases. The four deaths include an 80-year-old woman and relatives who came in contact with her remains. So far 22 people are suspected to have contracted the disease, while an isolation zone has been created in Chegutu to nurse the sick.

No-one wants a repeat of 2008, when the government was accused of a delayed response that left 4,000 dead and more than 90,000 infected. Health officials say they are on high alert, however Zimbabwe has battled to supply clean waste to its cities as a result of decaying infrastructure for more than a decade.