31 Jan 2009

Zimbabwe cholera cases now 60,000: WHO

6:20 am on 31 January 2009

The World Health Organisation says the number of cholera cases in Zimbabwe is more than 60,000.

The agency has called for drastic national and international action.

The recorded death toll since August is now 3161, out of 60,401 recorded cases, according to an agency update issued in Geneva on Friday.

After initially affecting mainly towns and cities, the disease is now spreading in poor rural areas.

The agency estimates that about half of the population of Zimbabwe - about 12 million - is at risk because of poor living conditions.

The United Nations issued an appeal for $US567 million earlier this year, but has received no international funding yet.