The Ministry of Health has received an alert indicating a cholera outbreak in Vubwi District of Eastern Province since 22nd January 2023.
Vubwi District has confirmed 4 cases, and are investigating another 7 suspected cases.
Health Minister Sylvia Masebo announced in a statement that one death has been recorded from there.
Mrs Masebo revealed that the areas affected are villages within Chikoma, Mbande, Chipanje, and Mzigawa Rural Health Center catchment areas.
She said the District Rapid Response teams supported by Provincial Health Offices are urgently responding to try and control, and break transmission of cholera in the affected areas.
“To these ends, we have so far identified all the contact persons to the cases and established that the communities so far affected potentially includes up to 719 people in 6 villages in Vubwi District,” she said.
“A national level multisectoral/multidisciplinary team of experts led by the Zambia National Public Health institute (ZNPHI) were dispatched this morning to support the response. The support will be especially in the areas of surveillance, laboratory, Infection Prevention and Control, case management and risk communication and community engagement.”
Mrs Masebo said Zambia remains at risk of similar outbreaks beyond the currently affected districts, considering the ongoing cholera outbreak in neighboring countries that started in March 2022.
“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. The Districts that are mostly at risk of this importation include Chipata, Vubwi, Chipangali, Lumezi, Chasefu, Lundazi and Chama in Eastern province and Nakonde, Isoka and Mafinga in Muchinga province.”
She added, “Furthermore, some areas within Lusaka, Luapula, Northern, Copperbelt, Central and Southern provinces are known to be cholera hotspots.
“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. I wish to call on each one of us to take this outbreak very seriously. We all need to be vigilant and do what we can protect our country from cholera.”
