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.”
Meanwhile, The Ministry of Health in Nakonde District in Muchinga Province has tightened surveillance on Cholera.
Nakonde District Health Promotions Officer Gertrude Chipampe has disclosed that the District Health Office is on the lookout for any possible outbreak of cholera in the district.
Ms. Chipampe was speaking in an interview with the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Nakonde today.
She said Nakonde District shares boundaries with the neighbouring Malawi where over 31 cases of Cholera have been recorded since March 2022.
Ms Chipampanta added that a check point has been mounted along Kanyala road where people coming into Nakonde from Malawi are being screened.
She pointed out that the screening is also being done at the point of entry at Nakonde One Stop Border Post.
“We will be screening everyone coming from Malawi into our district, those from Nakonde to Malawi, will also be asking how long they stayed in Malawi, if they stayed for over two hours to five days, we have to screen for the signs,” she said.
Ms. Chipampe further urged the people of Nakonde to practice high levels of hygiene and ensure that their surroundings are kept clean and free from flies.
She says her office has also intensified awareness programs in Schools and is currently doing interactive programs on radio just to make sure that the community is kept abreast with information.
“Various stakeholders are also being engaged among them, the church and traditional leaders, so that we do not live anyone behind and ensure the district is protected,” She adds.
Malawi has recorded a total of 31,241 cases of Cholera with 1, 023 deaths since the onset of the outbreak in March last year.
29, 092 have since recovered while 1,126 patients are still admitted in health facilities as of January 25, 2023 according to a statement released today by Malawi’s Health Minister Kandodo Chiponda.
Instead of curbing the disease this government is bringing statistics from Malawi and blaming outbreak in neighbouring countries that happened last March 2022. Shame on this government.
Blame game when there is an outbreak. When will this government learn to be responsible????
PF ended cholera. Its return just indicates failure. We will be voting again and anyone taking Zambians for granted has another think coming. Ask UNIP, MMD, PF. We dont play around with failures
Too many battles from too many fronts.
This is not good news under your watch Ms. Masebo. You need to up thy game – and fast.
Cholera was extinguished by pF. Ask Kaizar
Here is support HH. I do not remember him promising to end Cholera. When last did we have Cholera again?