Zambia has recorded 174 cumulative cases of cholera, with two deaths and a case fatality rate of 1.1 percent, following an outbreak that began on 5th August 2025 at Chipwa Health Post in Mpulungu District.
Minister of Health Dr Elijah Muchima says the outbreak has since spread to Nsama and Mbala Districts as well as neighbouring Tanzania, linked to travel for a funeral and cross-border fish trading.
He says 156 patients have been treated and discharged, while 16 remain admitted in treatment centres across the affected districts.
Authorities, with support from partners, have scaled up response measures, including the establishment of Cholera Treatment Centres, strengthened surveillance, household chlorine distribution, water quality monitoring, and community sensitisation through schools, churches, markets, and door-to-door visits.
And 100 percent coverage has been achieved during the first Oral Cholera Vaccine campaign in Mpulungu, and preparations are underway to extend vaccination to 200,000 more people in Nsama, Mbala, and other high-risk areas within the next two weeks and enhancing cross-border collaboration with Tanzania and reinforcing Point-of-Entry screening to curb further spread.
By Victoria Kayeye Yambani
