(Lusaka – 15th January 2024)
Members of the Press,
Zambia is currently experiencing a Cholera outbreak that commenced in October 2023 in Lusaka. The disease has since spread to over 45 districts across the country. This outbreak continues to pose a threat to the health security of the nation and therefor calls for a continued intensified multisectoral response. It also calls for rigorous efforts to quickly and effectively control this life-threatening disease. As reported in our update, the Cholera outbreak has had a huge and widespread impact related to cases and deaths recorded countrywide. The outbreak has also caused negative socio-economic impacts including delay in resumption of the 2024 education calendar as well as effect on normal operations of many businesses particularly in the food industry.
Allow me to update you on the current situation of this outbreak as it stands in the last. 418 new cases have been recorded in the past 24 hours countrywide. This is slightly lower than yesterday when we recorded 431 cases. These new cases are from 8 provinces and distributed as follows: 381 in Lusaka Province, 1 in Northern Province, 25 in Central Province, 1 in Southern Province, 1 in Eastern Province, 4 in the Copperbelt Province, 4 in North-western and 1 in Western Province. Muchinga Province has not reported any case for two consecutive days whereas Luapula Province has not reported any case since the beginning of this current outbreak.
In the last 24 hours we have discharged 363 patients from the various treatment centers. This is slightly lower than yesterday when we discharged 388 patients and on Saturday when 400 patients were discharged. We now have 796 patients in admission across the country, a slight reduction from the 859 patients we had in admission yesterday and the 821 patients we had in treatment centers on Saturday.
We have recorded a total of 12 deaths in the last 24 hours, almost similar to yesterday’s 11 deaths but a reduction from Saturday when we recorded 18 deaths. All these deaths happened in Lusaka Province, 11 in Lusaka district and 1 in Rufunsa. Five of these deaths happened in the community and brought in dead (BID) whereas 7 died in our cholera treatment facilities.
Lusaka province and Lusaka district in particular remains the most affected province. Lusaka district recorded 381 new cases in the past 24 hours. We have a total of 691 patients who are in admission to various Lusaka-based treatment facilities.
At Hero’s Stadium cholera treatment center, as of 06:00hrs this morning, we had a total of 495 patients compared to 576 patients we had in admission yesterday. 186 are males, 121 are females and 188 are children. The 95 were referred to this facility in the last 24 hours compared to 128 the day before. We also made 188 discharges during this same 24-hour period and referred 2 patients to Levy treatment center. We sadly lost three adult patients at this treatment center.
A few days ago, His Excellency, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic Zambia during a media interaction, emphasised on a multi-sectoral, whole-government and whole-society coordination response. The general public has to be engaged as key players to ensure a targeted and timely response to the outbreak in order to create cholera free communities. It is to this effect that government has invoked the STATUTORY INSTRUMENT No. 5 of 2024 – The Public Health Act (Laws, Volume 17, Cap. 295). This is meant to safeguard our people and our communities and it has introduced key provisions to enhance cholera prevention and control measures.
Our response to the outbreak so far has been centred on case management, promotion on the use and provision of clean, safe water and good sanitation. There has been promotion of good hygiene practices at household and community level.
We are further enhancing other prevention models with the use of cholera vaccines to prevent disease. We are happy to announce the arrival of the first few batches of the Oral Cholera Vaccines in the country. The vaccination against cholera will be applied in conjunction with the other prevention measures in the community.
The WHO International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision approved over 1.7 million doses of Oral Cholera vaccines for use in Zambia. About 1.4 million doses have already been received in the country in four separate shipments between the 11th and the 14th of January, 2024. The remaining balance of over 200,000 will be made available to the country soon. I wish to thank cooperating partners that have tirelessly worked with the Ministry of Health to secure the vaccines and other resources necessary for the campaign. These partners include the WHO, UNICEF and Gavi – The Vaccine Alliance.
Oral Cholera Vaccines are safe and the doses that have been received are authorised for use in Zambia. The country has periodically used oral cholera vaccines to successfully respond to emergencies that have affected different parts of the country. Cholera vaccines were used including recent outbreaks recorded in Vubwi, Mpulungu, Nsama, Nchelenge and Chiengi last year. The inclusion of cholera vaccinations in these areas was vital in contributing towards the control of the outbreaks in these districts last year.
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. Sub districts in Lusaka have a high burden of cases and controlling will eventually benefit the entire country through reduced spread to other provinces.
Following the receipt of these vaccines the Ministry of Health and partners will commence vaccinations of eligible people aged one year and above in selected high-risk areas in Lusaka. The Government through the Ministry of Health is committed to ensuring that this current outbreak is swiftly controlled. We have to protect our citizens as every life is sacred and human capital is a key resource to the development of our country. As said by his Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, ‘No One Should Die of Cholera’.
To all our partners and the Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC), we are grateful for the continued solidarity and partnership in ensuring continued efforts towards access to vaccines. We are equally grateful for the continued support in health systems strengthening and other areas that aim at reducing mortality and the spread of disease.
Finally, I call upon all Zambians to come together and Kick Out Cholera from our country. We have previously worked together to stump out other public health threats. Again, let us work together as a united front, to fight Cholera so that we don’t lose any life.
[Original Signed]
Hon. Sylvia T. Masebo, MP
MINISTER OF HEALTH