Carter: Zimbabwe Humanitarian Crisis Worse Than Thought

Johannesburg, South Africa (AHN) - Although former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was unable to enter Zimbabwe to see the humanitarian crisis for himself, he said that indications were that conditions are even worse than he feared.

The collapse of Zimbabwe's political, economic and health systems appears to have allowed a cholera outbreak to become an epidemic that has sickened 6,000 people, killed at least 300 and spread into neighboring South Africa, according to United Nations officials.

President Carter, former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and human rights advocate Graca Machel (the wife of Nelson Mandela) were on a humanitarian mission as part of a group formed by Mandela to foster peace called the Elders.

The trio were denied visas to enter the country this weekend by Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe.

Carter said that although cholera normally kills only about one percent of the people contract the disease that the death toll in Zimbabwe has been worse because hospitals don't have any drugs. Hyperinflation of 231 million percent since July has made it impossible for hospitals to afford drugs.