UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarians said on Tuesday that they released 2.5 million U.S. dollars for Zambia to battle a cholera outbreak claiming 574 lives and infecting 400 to 500 people daily.
Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths allocated the money from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) on Monday to support the country's response to the cholera outbreak, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The office said that as of Sunday, Zambia's National Public Health Institute reported more than 15,000 cholera cases and 574 deaths.
"The transmission of cholera has been aggravated by challenges in water supply and sanitation, including flooding, shallow wells, and difficulties in accessing clean water," OCHA said. "The new CERF allocation will support the emergency response, including support in the areas of health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene."
Several eastern and southeastern African countries have had cholera outbreaks following this season's longer and heavier seasonal flooding. ■
