Deadly cholera epidemic "mushrooming" in Zimbabwe: WHO

By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA (Reuters) - A cholera epidemic which has already afflicted more than 60,000 people in Zimbabawe is spreading in the rural heartland, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

The deadliest cholera outbreak in Africa in 15 years is gaining momentum, with 1,493 new cases including 69 deaths reported in the past 24 hours alone, it said.

The intestinal infection has killed 3,161 Zimbabweans since August in an outbreak that has now surpassed the WHO's previous "worst case scenario."

Heavy rains and the year-end holidays, when many urban Zimbabweans traveled to visit relatives in villages, have fueled the spread of the water-borne disease, the United Nations agency said.

"The epidemic is really present in the provinces, it's jumping from one area to another. It's mushrooming," Claire-Lise Chaignat, WHO global cholera coordinator, told a news briefing in Geneva.

"That is why it is so out of control, because it is difficult to anticipate where the next hot spot is going to occur," she said.

More cases were reported this week than the previous one but the number of deaths appeared to decline, Chaignat said.

Cholera spreads through contaminated food and water and can cause severe dehydration and death without proper treatment.