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Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe Humanitarian Situation Report No.#13 – 30 April 2017

Attachments

Highlights

  • In response to the floods which hit parts of the country, UNICEF provided teaching and learning materials, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and child protection services to over 3,000 people in the flood-affected districts.

  • As of 31 March 2017, over 3,300 children aged 0-59 months had been treated for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in 20 drought affected districts.

  • Since the start of the year, more than 2,200 suspected typhoid cases have been reported in the country out of which 64 have been laboratory confirmed and six typhoid related deaths reported.
    UNICEF continues to support emergency preparedness and response through critical lifesaving health and WASH interventions in flood affected areas and identified diarrheal disease hot spots.

  • During the reporting period, UNICEF received US$ 2 million from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to expand its WASH programme interventions in 10 drought-affected districts with a high HIV prevalence.

Situation in Numbers

859 people
Displaced by flooding in Tsholotsho
Sipepa Camp
(DCP, February 2017)

3,312 Children aged 0-59 months with SAM
from 20 drought affected districts were admitted and treated in the IMAM
program as of 31 March 2017 (DHIS, April 2017)

2,209
Cumulative typhoid cases comprising
2,145 suspected, 64 laboratory confirmed
and 6 reported deaths
(MOHCC, April 2017)

UNICEF Zimbabwe
2017 Humanitarian
Requirements US $13.5 million

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

The results of the ZimVAC rapid assessment conducted in January 2017 showed that global acute malnutrition (GAM) has reduced from 5.7 per cent reported in January 2016 to 3.1 per cent in 2017 (see figure 1). In the same period, a nutrition assessment using the SMART methodology was carried out in 27 districts earmarked for emergency nutrition response programmes including seven of the nine highly foodinsecure districts. The survey results show a significant decline in the GAM prevalence as compared to the ZimVAC assessment results of July 2016. However, the effects of the El Niño phenomenon will be felt among women, children and men in the sub-region for years to come as estimates indicate that it will take approximately two years for communities to recover from the effects of the El Niño associated drought even with the improved agricultural conditions.
The Government of Zimbabwe declared a national flood disaster on 2 March 2017 and launched a Flood Disaster Domestic and International Appeal for Humanitarian Assistance on 20 March 2017, requesting US $189 million.

The flooding affected 36 districts in the country, most of which were recently affected by the El Niño associated drought, thereby eroding the coping capacities of the vulnerable communities. In addition to localized displacement, infrastructural damages and the disruption of education services, the floods compromised access to clean water, safe hygiene and sanitation practices where WASH infrastructure was destroyed thereby increasing the risk of WASH related diseases.