Zimbabwe Cholera Deaths Near 3,000: WHO

GENEVA ~ The death toll from the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe is approaching 3,000 and within reach of the worst case scenario of 60,000 cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

The outbreak, which started in August, has killed 2,971 people and infected 56,123 others, according to the latest figures gathered by the WHO.

“It’s one of the worst and largest outbreaks of cholera,” WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said. “The situation of cholera is not under control – it’s even out of control – and it will remain so for the near future.

Men at ‘Higher Risk’ for Alcoholism

Men in developed countries face a more than one-in-five risk of alcohol dependence or abuse in the course of their life, according to a review published by the British health journal The Lancet.

For women, the risk is put at 10 percent or less.

The problem is “common in all developed countries,” where as many as 80 percent of men and 60 percent of women drink at some time during their lives, according to the study, authored by Marc Schuckit of the University of California at San Diego.