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
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