Health Minister Sylvia Masebo has confirmed a suspected cholera outbreak in Lusaka’s Kanyama Township, resulting in one fatality. The outbreak was diagnosed on Sunday, October 15, 2023. However, there is positive news that a 21-year-old woman who had been confirmed to have the disease has been successfully treated and is now in stable condition.
Addressing the media during a press briefing in Lusaka, Minister Masebo disclosed that, thanks to prompt medical care and public health efforts, there are currently no active cholera cases in Lusaka district following the successful treatment of the patient in Kanyama.
Cholera outbreaks are more prevalent during the rainy season due to the increased risk of water contamination. Unplanned and densely populated areas have historically been the major cholera hotspots in Zambia, particularly in Lusaka and the Copperbelt provinces.
The 21-year-old woman who presented at Kanyama Hospital with symptoms of acute watery diarrhea and vomiting has since been successfully treated. Rapid response teams were dispatched into the community to conduct contact tracing, and they identified a community death believed to be linked to the initial cholera case.
Minister Masebo urged the public to take proactive measures to prevent the outbreak from escalating, including practicing heightened hygiene, safe water consumption, proper sanitation, food safety, and early reporting of symptoms.
In light of this cholera outbreak, the Ministry of Health is actively working to ensure that communities without sufficient access to clean and safe water sources are provided with the necessary support by engaging the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation.
Health authorities are advising communities to adopt early measures for treating symptoms of cholera, such as diarrhea and vomiting. Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) can be administered even at home to mitigate the effects of the disease.
Funeral management in areas with confirmed cholera cases is of particular concern. Public health measures include no gatherings at the funerals of confirmed cholera cases, with burials supervised by health officials to reduce transmission risks.
The government, with the support of local health authorities, healthcare providers, and community leaders, remains committed to bringing this cholera outbreak under control. President Hakainde Hichilema, who also serves as the Global Cholera Control Champion, has emphasized the importance of working together as a nation to combat the outbreak and achieve a cholera-free Zambia.
Lock down that Lusaka, shut it down!
ZNS will deliver mealie meal door to door. Lock the thing down, hire Lusambo and his gang to go to Kanyama. remember covid Days when Lusambo used to assault people? Let him do same on cholera.
Zambia is being run by a very dirty government and party, both physically and in terms of corruption
So the vaccines that were administered earlier haven’t worked. The message to the UPND is clear. Those Zambians you have chased from streets without alternative trading spaces aren’t the cause of cholera. Check when last did Lusaka experience a cholera outbreak?