Zimbabwe declares national emergency over cholera

By MacDonald Dzirutwe

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe declared a national emergency as it battled to halt a cholera outbreak that has killed more than 560 people and forced its government to appeal for international assistance.

Neighbouring South Africa said it was extremely concerned about conditions in the state. Thousands of Zimbabweans are believed to cross the border, often illegally, into South Africa each day.

Economic meltdown in Zimbabwe, isolated by Western countries under President Robert Mugabe's increasingly authoritarian rule, has left the health system ill-prepared to cope with an epidemic that it once would have prevented or treated easily.

There is not enough money to pay doctors and nurses or buy medicine.

"Our central hospitals are literally not functioning. Our staff is demotivated and we need your support to ensure that they start coming to work and our health system is revived," Health Minister David Parirenyatwa was quoted by the state-run Herald newspaper as saying in an appeal to donors.

Parirenyatwa said Zimbabwe needed medicine, medical equipment and food for patients and child feeding programmes.

"The emergency appeal will help us reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with the current socio-economic environment by December, 2009," Parirenyatwa said.

The United Nations humanitarian office estimates the death toll from the cholera outbreak at 565 people, with the capital Harare the worst affected. The cases have been fuelled by the collapse of the water system, which has forced residents to drink from contaminated wells and streams.