Zimbabwe - The Emergency Assistance to support efforts to control and avert cholera outbreaks

The present operation of Emergency Assistance is an assist to the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe with a grant of US$ 1,000,000 to support national efforts to prevent and contain further spread of cholera as well reduce the risk of mortality due to the disease. It is justified because it is a humanitarian crisis involving daily loss of lives. Indeed, the outbreak of cholera in Zimbabwe is a threat not only to the country but also to the Southern African Sub-region. The failure to control the outbreak also has immense public health consequences for the Southern African region, as cases originating from Zimbabwe, have since been reported in Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique and South Africa. The epidemic is likely to strain the already overstretched capacity of health services in neighbouring countries. The ADB support will finance the activities below, drawn from the Health Cluster Cholera Response Plan that has been agreed upon by Government and Development Partners. (i) Procurement and distribution of emergency response equipment and supplies, including: Oral Rehydration Salts, chlorine, diarrhoeal disease kits, drugs, etc; (ii) Training of staff and volunteers in infection control. The total duration of the emergency assistance will not exceed twelve (12) months.