Zambia’s former Minister of Health, Dr. Chitalu Chilufya, says enough is being done to combat the cholera outbreak that has hit the country.
A deadly cholera outbreak was declared in Lusaka in October 2023 and afflicted all ten of the nation's provinces, leaving at least 500 people dead.
“I can confidently state that the case outbreak is actually showing signs of abetting. If we look at the epidemiological week of January 8, 2024, that was the peak with more than 400 cases per day, and beyond that, we started seeing a reduction. And where we stand today, we see on average 300 cases per day,” Chilufya told South Africa’s SABC News.
Zambia’s Ministry of Health, in a statement last week, called the lingering outbreak ‘’a threat to the health security of the nation.’’
Vaccine intervention
WHO has approved over 1.7 million doses of oral cholera vaccines for use in Zambia. About 1.4 million doses have already been received. This is the worst cholera outbreak in Zambia in two decades.
‘’The vaccines we have received are not adequate for a countrywide non-selective response. Therefore, they will be deployed in a phased manner in targeted high-risk areas for us to achieve impact in controlling transmission, illness, and death from cholera,’’ the health ministry said in a statement.
Cholera outbreak is frequent in many African countries with Zimbabwe recording over 20,000 cases and 400 fatalities this year.
Cholera is an acute, extremely virulent infection that can spread rapidly and cause dehydration, resulting in high morbidity and mortality.
However, the disease is easily treatable if victims get prompt administration of oral rehydration solutions or intravenous fluids.
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