The people of Zambia are still being confronted with the crisis arising from the cholera outbreak in the country and are in dire need of support.

Development Diaries reports that over 400 cases have been recorded in the past week, according to data from Zambia’s Ministry of Health.

The ministry has admitted that the number of new cases is still very high, even as the government is doing its best to contain the outbreak.

In a developing country like Zambia, cholera can have a significant impact on public health due to factors such as poor sanitation, inadequate access to clean water, and limited health care infrastructure.

To this end, the Africa Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC) has deployed 15 technical assistance officers to support coordination, surveillance, infection prevention and control, case management, risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) and social and behavioural change communication (SBCC) interventions in the affected areas.

According to Africa CDC, the team will work with the Ministry of Health Zambia, ZNPHI, and partners to strengthen government efforts to control and end the cholera outbreak.

It is understood that five countries – Malawi, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe – have experienced protracted cholera outbreaks since 2023.

Zimbabwe has been the most affected, with a sustained increase in cases and deaths in the last three months.

In addition to the Africa CDC intervention, Development Diaries calls on the government of Zambia to focus on creating long-term investments in sanitation infrastructure to ensure a successful cholera prevention and control strategy.

Additionally, the government must encourage the establishment of community-based initiatives that focus on maintaining cleanliness and preventing the spread of waterborne diseases, not forgetting to enhance health care infrastructure to handle cholera cases, including the establishment of cholera treatment centres.

Source: Africa CDC

Photo source: Doctors Without Borders