Zimbabwe is launching a crowdfunding campaign to help fund efforts to contain the country's ongoing cholera outbreak, according to STAT's Morning Rounds e-newsletter.
Zimbabwe's Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mthuli Ncube, PhD, tweeted about the campaign Sept. 13. In the tweet, Mr. Ncube provided a code on the money transfer app EcoCash so citizens can contribute to the campaign directly from their phones.
Experts told STAT it was "an odd move" to ask for donations to bolster government funds.
Twenty-six people have died in the cholera outbreak, which is the worst Zimbabwe has seen in a decade, according to Reuters. Both the World Health Organization and the International Red Cross in Zimbabwe said they were stepping up emergency response efforts Sept. 13.