The mayor of Harare stated on Friday that Zimbabwe has announced a state of emergency in response to a cholera outbreak, which has resulted in numerous fatalities throughout the nation.

The city of Harare, with a population of 1.5 million, has been severely impacted by an epidemic that has spread throughout all regions of the country in southern Africa.

“The current situation is extremely dire,” said Harare Mayor Ian Makone in a statement to AFP, explaining the declaration of a state of emergency.

The illness is spreading throughout the town.

Since February, there have been over 7,000 possible instances of cholera and nearly 150 fatalities in Zimbabwe. Laboratory tests have confirmed 51 cases.

A minimum of 12 individuals have perished in Harare.

Cholera epidemics frequently happen in cities in Zimbabwe where access to clean water and proper sanitation is inconsistent, and the infrastructure has deteriorated from years of neglect.

The illness is caused by a bacteria that is commonly spread through tainted food or water.

Makone explained that individuals have created wells in the vicinity of pit latrines, particularly in rapidly growing communities and other areas without access to running water. As a result, their drinking water is polluted.

Certain authorities are making parallels to the year 2008, during which a cholera outbreak resulted in a minimum of 4,000 fatalities and at least 100,000 individuals became sick in Zimbabwe.

During the peak of the nation’s economic crisis, there was a widespread outbreak as many public hospitals were shut down because of a lack of medication and the departure of healthcare professionals to other countries.

Makone stated that local government officials, the Ministry of Health, and humanitarian organizations have collaborated to increase the water supply in impacted regions and conduct educational efforts.

The United Nations recently reported that cholera has seen a worldwide increase starting in 2021, ending a ten-year period of consistent decrease.