Breaking: Health Ministry announces cholera outbreak, containment measures

Zambia’s Ministry of Health has confirmed four cholera cases and one death with communities so far affected potentially includes up to 719 people in six villages in Vubwi District.

Speaking in an emergency press briefing in the capital Lusaka on Thursday night, Health Minister Sylvia Masebo said the Ministry received an alert indicating a cholera outbreak in Vubwi District of Eastern Province since January 22, 2023.

Vubwi District has confirmed four cholera cases, and are investigating another  seven suspected cases and  one  death from there.

“With these confirmed cases, we are now officially declaring that we have a cholera outbreak. As articulated above, we are doing everything possible within our power to limit and hopefully stop the spread,”  Masebo stated.

She named affected villages in Vubwi  as  Chikoma, Mbande, Chipanje, and Mzigawa rural health centre  catchment areas.

Masebo said the district rapid response teams supported by provincial health offices were urgently responding to try and control and break transmission of cholera in the affected areas.

She said in accordance with the country’s national multi-sectoral plan, response activities would among others ensure the activation of the district public health emergency operations centers and incident management system.

Others will be activation of the district epidemic preparedness prevention control and management committee meetings.

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Masebo  also  mentioned that a national level multisectoral/multidisciplinary team of experts led by the Zambia National Public Health institute (ZNPHI) were dispatched   morning to support the response.

“The continued movement of our population across the borders for various reasons including trade and other social reasons has increased this risk. Eastern and Muchinga provinces are particularly the highest risk provinces for contracting of the disease,”  she said.

Masebo  said the districts that were   mostly at risk of  cholera  were  Chipata, Vubwi, Chipangali, Lumezi, Chasefu, Lundazi and Chama in Eastern province and Nakonde, Isoka and Mafinga in Muchinga province.

She added some areas within Lusaka, Luapula, Northern, Copperbelt, Central and Southern provinces were  known to be cholera hotspots.