HARARE, Zimbabwe — The death toll from Zimbabwe’s cholera outbreak has risen sharply, the United Nations said Wednesday, reporting 775 deaths and 16,141 cases of the waterborne disease in the southern African nation.
Cholera has spread rapidly in Zimbabwe because of the country’s crumbling health care system and the lack of clean water. Last week, Zimbab we declared a health emergency because of cholera.
The latest figures from the World Health Organization show a jump of nearly 200 deaths from Tuesday, when the U.N. humanitarian office reported that 589 people had died out of 13,960 cases.
Zimbabwe’s government says the disease is under control, but aid agencies warn that incoming rain could spread cholera further in a population already weakened by disease and hunger.
With hundreds of people fleeing to seek treatment, cholera already has spread to Zimbabwe’s neighbors. Nine deaths were reported Tuesday in South Africa.
