In Zambia there is an cholera outbreak
- Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease that can kill within hours if left untreated. It is caused by ingestion of contaminated water or food.
Source: www.openwho.org
Epidemiology
Cholera is an acute, secretory diarrhoeal disease caused by toxigenic strains of the Gram-negative bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Improved sanitation and access to safe water have largely eliminated indigenous cholera in high-income countries. However, Cholera remains endemic in many middle and lower-income countries where both sporadic and 1 epidemic infections can occur. Upwards of four million cases of cholera are estimated to occur each year with approximately 150 000 deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that officially-reported cases may 2 significantly under-represent the true number of infections .
Cholera remains prevalent in many parts of Africa, Central America and Asia (Figure 1, below). The recent detection of two locally acquired cases is of great concern as South Africa has been regarded as being cholera-free.
Figure 1. In Africa, the number of reported cholera cases during January of this year was 30% higher than the whole of 2022.Malawi continues to experience a surge of infections and cases have been reported in neighboring Mozambique and Zambia, as well as in Burundi, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are also responding to outbreaks as a result of the extreme drought in the Horn of Africa, which has left millions in need of 4 humanitarian assistance .