U.N. says cholera death toll reaches 775

? The death toll from Zimbabwe’s cholera outbreak has risen sharply, the United Nations said Wednesday, reporting 775 deaths and 16,141 cases of the waterborne disease in the southern African nation.

Cholera has spread rapidly in Zimbabwe because of the country’s crumbling health care system and the lack of clean water. Last week, Zimbabwe declared a health emergency because of cholera and the collapse of its health services.

The latest figures from the World Health Organization show a jump of nearly 200 deaths from Tuesday, when the U.N. humanitarian office reported that 589 people had died out of 13,960 cases.

Zimbabwe’s government says the disease is under control but aid agencies warn that coming rains could spreading cholera further in a population already weakened by disease and hunger.