Zambia to undertake oral cholera vaccination in capital after fresh outbreak

LUSAKA, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Zambia will start the distribution of the oral cholera vaccine in designated hotspot regions of Lusaka, the capital, to curb an ongoing outbreak, health authorities announced on Tuesday.

Ministry of Health's Permanent Secretary for Technical Services Kennedy Lishimpi said that the exercise will start this week in hotspot areas to stop the spread of the waterborne illness in response to increased rains that have caused flooding.

He told journalists during a press briefing that the World Bank has agreed to support the vaccination exercise, but did not reveal how many people are targeted to be vaccinated.

Lishimpi said Lusaka currently has 13 confirmed cases of cholera, following one new case recorded in the past 24 hours.

Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI) is concerned that the country's heavy rains recently have increased the risk of cholera transmission.

As of Jan. 18, Zambia had a total of 656 cases and 10 fatalities, according to ZNPHI data.

Lusaka had been the epicenter of Zambia's cholera outbreak from October 2023 to July 2024, during which more than 23,000 cases and over 700 fatalities were recorded. ■