Zimbabwe puts restrictions over cholera as dozens die

Zimbabwe’s government has introduced restrictions to control a cholera outbreak that is suspected to have killed more than 100 people.

The measures include suspending some social gatherings and restricting the number of people allowed to attend funerals in areas affected by the outbreak, which include many districts across the country and parts of the capital, Harare. Shaking hands and the serving of food at the funerals have also been banned.

The health ministry had on Wednesday announced 100 suspected cholera deaths, 30 of which had been confirmed through laboratory tests.

The ministry also confirmed 905 cholera cases out of more than 4,600 suspected cases.

Zimbabwe is prone to frequent cholera outbreaks.

One of its worst outbreaks between 2008 and 2009 killed more than 4,200 people and infected nearly 100,000 others.

In August, the UN children’s agency Unicef attributed the outbreaks to poor sanitation infrastructure, unstable water supply, regular sewer bursts and poor waste management, amid a rapid growth in the country’s urban population.