Outbreaks in Africa
There have been recent cholera outbreaks in other southern African nations, including Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
More than 200,000 cases and over 3,000 deaths have been reported in southern Africa since the start of 2023, UNICEF said.
Malawi had its worst cholera outbreak in decades in 2023.
Last year, the WHO reported that about 30 countries globally, also including Nigeria and Uganda in Africa, suffered serious outbreaks in the last few years.
Cholera barely affects countries in the developed world and can be easily treated but can be quickly fatal if not treated.
More than half — 229 — of the victims in the Zambian outbreak died before being admitted to a health facility, the public health institute said.
Zambia has had several major cholera outbreaks since the 1970s, but this one is the worst in 20 years in terms of the caseload, according to Dr. Mazyanga Mazaba, the director of Public Health Policy and Communication at the Public Health Institute.
The cholera bacteria can also survive longer in warmer weather, and unusually heavy rains and storms in southern Africa have contributed to recent outbreaks, experts say.
WHO said last year that while poverty and conflict remain the main drivers for cholera, climate change has contributed to the disease’s upsurge in many places across the globe since 2021 by making storms wetter and more frequent.
A cyclone sparked a spiralling cholera outbreak in Mozambique last year.
Heavy rains and flash flooding in Zambia have converted some neighbourhoods into soggy or waterlogged areas.
Source link : https://www.trtworld.com/africa/zambia-battles-cholera-outbreak-as-deaths-rises-past-400-16691199
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Publish date : 2024-01-08 08:00:00
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