2017-18 Zambia cholera outbreak

Zambian Cholera Outbreak

Map of Zambia on the globe
Disease	Cholera
Bacteria strain	Vibrio cholerae
Dates	6 October 2017 – present
Origin	Chipata sub-district, Lusaka
Deaths	51
Confirmed cases	2091

The 2017/2018 Zambian cholera outbreak was an epidemic of cholera affecting much of Zambia from October 2017 and become more lively in January. The outbreak began in most parts for Lusaka the capital city in October 2017 then spread to most parts of the country by January of 2018 cases were being reported in all 3 provinces. The outbreak peaked in January 2018 with over 91 cases reported. In total, 2091 cases of cholera and 51 deaths were reported so far, making this the fastest-growing outbreak in history. The large scale and severity of the outbreak has been attributed to poor sanitation and limited access to healthcare.

Cause

The 2017 cholera outbreak was caused by widespread infection with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae which is spread through water contaminated with the feces of infected individuals. Cholera had been seen for decade leading up to the 2017 outbreak.

One of the major contributing factors to the outbreak was the breakdown of the municipal water supply, sanitation , and waste collection

Outbreak

The cholera outbreak initially started in the Chipata sub-district. On 6 October 2017, the Minister of Health declared an outbreak of cholera in the capital city. From 28 September through 7 December 2017, 547 cases including 15 deaths (case fatality rate = 1.8%), have been reported since the beginning of the outbreak. The initial outbreak period was from 28 September through 20 October. From 21 October through 4 November 2017 there were less than five cases reported each week. However, from 5 November 2017 an increase in the number of cases was observed with a total of 136 cases reported in the week beginning 26 November.