HEALTH Minister Sylvia Masebo has confirmed the unfortunate presence of Cholera in Eastern province with at least five districts being affected, recording a total number of 87 cases as of Wednesday since last month.
However, Masebo said to stop and control the spread, the district with the support of the provincial and national level technical teams have launched a multisectoral response strategy to actively and timely control the outbreak as quickly as possible.
The minister said this yesterday in parliament in response to the urgent matter without notice raised by Pambashe Constituency Member of Parliament, Ronald Chitotela who wanted to be guided on what Government through the Ministry of Health is doing to prevent Cholera from spreading.
As at now, the districts affected with Cholera include Chipata, with 64 cases, Lumezi with four, Chadiza with two, Mambwe with six and Chipangali with 11, bringing the total number to 87.
These cases come exactly 32 days after the country recorded continuous zero cases of Cholera.
“Of these, 37 have been confirmed by our laboratory at Chipata Central Hospital. The first cases were identified in Chipata on 29th May 2024, since then the outbreak has spread to affect a total of five districts in the Province.
The cases in Chipata, Lumezi and Mambwe are linked to meals eaten and consumption of unsafe water at the Saturday Market in Chipata.
The Chipangali cases are linked to the Mambwe case while one of the two Chadiza cases is linked to Lusaka while the other one is linked to Mozambique,” said Masebo.
And to ensure that the disease is completely controlled, the minister said a team from the extended programme for immunisation is already in the district to ensure the necessary due diligence is completed.
Additionally, targeted vaccination campaigns will be conducted in other districts experiencing confirmed outbreaks to curb the spread of Cholera effectively.
“We are fortunate to have 2 million doses of oral Cholera caccine that were earlier donated from the International Coordinating Group (ICG) for reactive campaigns during previous outbreaks. Chipata district, having received approval for 345,000 doses, is set to initiate the vaccination campaign,” Masebo said.
She said as the outbreak remains a significant threat to national health security, necessitating a continued and intensified multisectoral response, has the potential to negate the socio-economic status of the individuals and communities affected, as disruptions to the education calendar and many businesses may occur.
“We continue to leverage on lessons learnt from the previous outbreaks. I am pleased to report that we have successfully controlled the 2023 Cholera outbreak that began in Lusaka in October 2023. While our records indicate a generally well managed situation. We observe sporadic cases in parts of Kitwe, Ndola, Kabwe and Lusaka,” said Masebo.
By Buumba Mwitumwa
Kalemba June 14, 2024
