Zimbabwe: First diarrhoea, now possibly plague
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city, already reeling from a diarrhoea outbreak as a result of water shortages, has been told by its fuel-strapped city council that it can only collect refuse once a month.
Garbage has been piling up around the city centre and a stench has now enveloped most high-density suburbs, where refuse has not been collected for the past three weeks. Bulawayo has recorded 3,600 cases of diarrhoea since the disease hit the city in August 2007.
"The issue of refuse collection touches directly on health as we face serious disease outbreaks, and the situation we are in will be worsened by the water
shortages we are facing at the moment, and diarrhoea-related cases will increase as a result," said Japhet Ndabeni-Ncube, the mayor.
