Death toll from cholera outbreak reaches 700 in Zambia as cases surge

Zambia has experienced a significant increase in cholera cases, with 700 fatalities reported since January 2024, according to Doctors Without Borders.

According to africanews website, the country has seen nearly 20,000 infections since the outbreak began in October 2023.

Initially confined to Lusaka and Ndola, the two largest cities in Zambia, the disease has now spread to all provinces, posing a potential threat to the entire southern Africa region.

The report says that cases have also been reported in neighboring Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Malawi.

Zambia’s ministry of health initiated a vaccination campaign in January, targeting 1.5 million people in high-risk areas.

Cholera is primarily transmitted through contaminated food and water, with the highest number of cases recorded in the capital city of Lusaka.