Cholera death toll climbs to 28 in Zimbabwe

HARARE, Sept 17 (AFP) The death toll in Zimbabwe's cholera outbreak has risen to 28, state media said on Monday.

The cholera outbreak, first detected in a township outside the capital Harare earlier this month, prompted the government to declare an emergency in the city after at least 3,000 cases were reported.

"Although I cannot say we have contained the disease as yet, we are moving swiftly in all provinces of the country," health minister Obadiah Moyo said.

Moyo said rubbish dumps would be removed from high-risk areas of Harare, sewer pipes would be repaired and street food vendors had been ordered to halt work. Cholera outbreaks have occurred regularly in Zimbabwe as authorities struggle to provide potable water and sanitation facilities.