The cholera infection rate in Zimbabwe is getting closer to the 100 000 mark in Africa´s worst outbreak in 15 years, aid agencies have said.

Although the death rate has slowed down, a report released by the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warned that the threat of cholera remains "very real". “It is likely that, at some point in the coming week, the 100 000th case of cholera will be officially reported in Zimbabwe.

“So far, 98 309 cases have been reported, with 4 283 deaths,” the report states. The aid agencies warned that causes of the outbreak still needed to be addressed. Constant sewer bursts and perennial water shortages in that country’s towns and cities were the main factors attributed to the outbreak of the cholera epidemic.

“The outbreak was born largely as a result of the country´s almost entirely collapsed water, sanitation and health systems. These issues have not been addressed and, although infection rates have dropped, the spectre of cholera will not be defeated until the underlying issues are ad-dressed,” the report stated.

It said the “reluctant support” from donors had undermined the Red Cross/ Red Crescent cholera operation, forcing a premature down-scaling of emergency operations.

The agencies said an estimated 3.75million Swiss francs was urgently required to rehabilitate 1 150 non-functional water sources, drill 263 bore holes and construct 3 755 latrines.

South Africa’s Department of Water Affairs is currently supplying clean water to residents of Beit Bridge in areas where the commodity continues to be a problem.

Rates of infection and death have declined markedly over the past one or two months. The reasons for this are varied: the impact of the humanitarian response; the establishment in some areas of interim social services, and the natural life of any public health crisis. “However, the eradication of cholera in Zimbabwe or the complete conclusion to this current epidemic is unlikely unless the underlying causes of the health crises are addressed," the report says, adding that the situation is exacerbated by the southern African country´s socio-economic instability.

The cholera epidemic started in August last year and spread to surrounding areas in Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia. In South Africa, Musina was the most affected area in Limpopo, due to its closeness to the Zimbabwean border. Scores of Zimbabwean patients from neighboring Beit Bridge town also flocked to Musina hospital for treatment at the height of the outbreak in November last year.