JOHANNESBURG , South Africa -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The political crisis that has gripped Zimbabwe for nearly a year may be drawing to an end , but a deadly cholera outbreak there is only getting worse . Zimbabweans walk through mounds of garbage . Lack of sanitation and clean water make cholera spread . The newly formed cabinet of Zimbabwe 's unity government met for the first time Tuesday , the same day that Medecins Sans Frontieres -LRB- Doctors Without Borders -RRB- released a report warning that the epidemic shows no signs of slowing . The outbreak -- one of the world 's largest , according to the World Health Organization -LRB- WHO -RRB- -- is only getting worse , and could be a stepping-stone to other epidemics and health crises , international agencies say . Since August , at least 3,623 people have died and 76,127 people have been infected by cholera , a preventable water-borne bacterial illness that causes severe diarrhea , vomiting and dehydration and can lead to death in a matter of days if not treated . According to a report released Tuesday by Medecins Sans Frontieres -LRB- Doctors Without Borders -RRB- , new cholera patients were being registered at a rate of one every minute at the beginning of February in Zimbabwe . Unless urgent action is taken , the aid group said , the country could see a worsening of the `` massive medical emergency that is spiraling out of control , '' MSF President Dr. Christophe Fournier told CNN Tuesday after his latest visit to Zimbabwe . MSF says the response from the international community to the crisis has been slow and inadequate , and it called on donors to put aside politics and send help immediately . The cholera epidemic has been left to fester as the Zimbabwean government grappled with questionable elections , opposition charges of fraud , power-sharing talks and the creation of a unity government in the last year . During that time , the country 's economy and infrastructure imploded , with sanitation systems and garbage collection becoming virtually non-existent . `` The reasons for the -LRB- cholera -RRB- outbreak are clear : lack of access to clean water , burst and blocked sewage systems , and uncollected refuse overflowing in the streets , all clear symptoms of the breakdown in infrastructure resulting from Zimbabwe 's political and economic meltdown , '' the MSF report said . The disease is contracted `` by drinking water or eating food contaminated with the cholera bacterium , '' the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -LRB- CDC -RRB- said on its Web site . `` In an epidemic , the source of the contamination is usually the feces of an infected person , '' the CDC said . `` The disease can spread rapidly in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water . '' Making matters worse , flooding from the rainy season -- which began in November -- is spreading the bacteria through swollen streams and rivers . Cholera cases have now been reported in all of the country 's provinces , the MSF report said . Exacerbating the epidemic is the current economic crisis , which has caused the health care system to nearly grind to a halt . `` I 've seen many health services being down like this in my life as an MSF doctor , but only in this country have I seen this kind of collapse of the public health care system in the absence of any conflict , '' Fournier said . He said most of the country 's public hospitals or clinics are either closed or empty , and the ones that are open face critical shortages of drugs and medical equipment . `` A huge part of the medical staff is not showing up because they are unpaid and on top of that , the patients , when finally accessing one opened facility , are asked for totally indecent amounts of money only to be seen and then an extra amount of money for their treatment , '' Fournier added . Many patients ca n't afford to pay and do n't even bother to seek treatment , he said . MSF believes cholera may be just the beginning of a nightmare health crisis in the southern African country . `` The current food shortages make us fear of further malnutrition among the most vulnerable , starting with the under -LRB- age -RRB- five children , where any kind of infectious epidemic can start at any moment after this current cholera epidemic , '' Fournier explained . MSF currently has more than 500 staff members working in Zimbabwe to battle the outbreak . The organization is calling on the government to remove barriers that are slowing the MSF response to the crisis . `` Despite the glaring humanitarian needs , the government of Zimbabwe continues to exert rigid control over aid organizations . MSF faces restrictions in implementing medical assessments and interventions , '' the group 's report said . `` The Zimbabwean government must facilitate independent assessments of need , guarantee that aid agencies can work wherever needs are identified and ease bureaucratic restrictions so that programs can be staffed properly and drugs procured quickly , '' the report said . Manuel Lopez , the chief of MSF 's mission in Zimbabwe , said the cost of importing medicine is often higher than the cost of the drugs themselves . High fees for visas and work permits for staff are also impeding operations , he said . And it often takes months to get permission for MSF specialists to operate inside the country , Lopez explained , with some eventually being turned down .