3 die of cholera in Zimbabwe's capital

Cholera has killed three people in Zimbabwe's capital in the first recorded deaths from the disease this year, the official Sunday Mail newspaper reported.

The three, who include a 75-year-old woman, were all residents of Epworth, an impoverished shantytown to the south of Harare.

Zimbabwean Health Minister David Parirenyatwa said his ministry was "on high alert" to deal with the outbreak, which he blamed on poor water supply to the area.

Cholera is transmitted through contaminated water and is linked to poor hygiene, overcrowding and bad sanitation. Symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting, which can kill unless treated quickly.

"The three are the only cases we have received so far, as the ministry is in control of the situation," Parirenyatwa said, according to the newspaper.

Earlier this month, Harare authorities worked to contain an outbreak in two townships where residents had been collecting water from unprotected wells.

At least 19 people were reported to have contracted cholera in that outbreak, but there were no recorded deaths.

A six-year economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe has taken its toll on public health facilities, sanitation systems and water provision in Harare and other major towns and cities, leaving residents exposed to the threat of cholera and other diseases linked to poor hygiene.

In many suburbs, garbage goes uncollected for weeks because authorities have no fuel to power waste collection, while sewage flows freely from broken pipes the authorities say they have no money to fix.

The state-run water authority ZINWA this year massively hiked charges for piped water.

The health minister said officials were traveling around Zimbabwe "educating communities on the preventative measures they should take to avoid contracting the disease," the Sunday Mail reported.

A cholera outbreak in Harare's Glen View township killed three people in January 2006, forcing the authorities to temporarily shut down the capital's main food and vegetable market.