Unicef raises alarm over cholera spread in 10 African states

cholera

Cholera patients rest on their beds inside the male ward in Harare, Zimbabwe on December 1, 2008. PHOTO | REUTERS

The UN's Children's Fund (Unicef) expressed alarm this week about a cholera outbreak in Africa that has spread to at least 10 countries, describing the situation in Zambia and Zimbabwe "very serious."

Dr Paul Ngwakum, the regional health adviser for Unicef in East and Southern Africa, said about 200,000 cases have been reported and more than 3,000 lives taken by the disease.