Zimbabwe cholera victims cross border for help

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Source: CCTV.com | 12-04-2008 10:50

The World Health Organization says the number of deaths from cholera in Zimbabwe has risen to 565, with more than 12 thousand people infected.

Children go to fetch water at a plant in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, on December 1, 2008. (AFP/File/Desmond Kwande)

Thousands of cholera patients in Zimbabwe are walking kilometers across the border to seek treatment in neighboring South Africa.

Most are unable to receive treatment in their own country. Doctors at a hospital in the border town of Musina say they're overwhelmed by the number of cholera patients from Zimbabwe.

UNICEF has launched a 120-day emergency response to intensify relief efforts in the country.

Under the plan, UNICEF will increase health outreach services, provide nutritional supplements, and scale up access to safe water.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei