It may now have been contained but the severe cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe in the second half of 2008 wiped out 5,000 lives and had many more hospitalised in the source-country and across the entire southern Africa region.  The outbreak spread panic in southern Africa prompting an ad hoc regional strategy the success of which remains unclear, writes *Wallace Chuma.

The cholera epidemic which haunted much of Southern Africa for the greater part of 2008 may be on the retreat, having claimed close to 5000 lives and affected more than 100 000 people. That it took so long to contain the epidemic is testimony to the fragility of the region’s healthcare infrastructure, and the need for massive investment in the sector.      

            The epidemic broke out in Zimbabwe against the backdrop of a dysfunctional public health system, poor sanitation and an economy that has all but collapsed. Initial government interventions were marked by shocking denial, with state officials including President Robert Mugabe declaring that the pandemic was part of a chemical warfare programme against Zimbabwe by Britain and her allies. By the time the government appealed for assistance from the region and the international community, close to 500 deaths had been reported in hospitals.

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