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[HARARE, 15 December] - The United Nations Children's Fund is appealing for 17.5 million U.S. dollars to boost its 120-day emergency plan to scale up the cholera response in Zimbabwe. The emergency plan will provide incentives for teachers, procure essential medicines for hospitals, and provide logistical support needed to help put social services back on track in the country. UNICEF launched the emergency plan last week after the Zimbabwean government declared cholera a national emergency. In a statement, UNICEF acting country representative Roeland Monasch said poor management of cholera cases because of inadequate resources had resulted in a high fatality rate of 4.8 per cent, above the average one percent internationally. According to UNICEF's 120-day emergency plan, all urban areas should be provided with water treatment chemicals for the next four months and cholera treatment centres should be supplied with medicines and equipment. The humanitarian organisation has plans to provide essential medicines for 1,780 health facilities in 62 districts of the country while helping communities to manage acute malnutrition. Since the government declared cholera a national emergency, UNICEF has responded by providing intravenous fluids, drips, tents and beds for cholera treatment centres. UNICEF is also trucking in 470,000 litres of water daily, drilling boreholes and distributing water purification tablets.