Cholera cases increase in Zambia

  1. Posted on Tuesday 2 March 2010 - 11:25
    Sanday
    Image of Sanday
    Sanday Chongo Kabange AfricaNews reporter in Lusaka, Zambia
    The widespread cholera outbreak has continued to rise in Zambia, creating panic and fear that is if not contained urgently; the water-borne disease might lead to deaths of people living in flooded regions of the country.
    Zambia
    Since the onset of the rainy season late 2009, many parts of Zambia have been shrouded in a mist of floods which have since forced some evacuations in certain areas while far flung places have been cut-off from the capital, Lusaka, causing a further drain to service supplies to rural areas.

    Humanitarian agencies such as Red Cross, World Vision and Oxfam have been collaborating with the Lusaka government’s Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit to resettle some of the flood victims, most of whom are also infected with cholera.

    According to the Ministry of Health, cholera cases have shot up to 559 after 17 new cases were recorded over the weekend.

    “17 new cases were recorded over the weekend, bringing the total number of cholera cases in the country to 559 in three provinces namely, Lusaka, Copperbelt and Southern Provinces,” said Reuben Kamoto Mbewe, Ministry of Health spokesperson.

    Meanwhile, heavy rains have continued to water the southern African state, leaving a trail of destruction in rural areas and farming communities scattered along the line of rail.

    Weather experts say the sudden fluctuations in Zambia’s weather pattern might be as a result of climate change and global warming.

    In 2007-2008, Zambia alongside, Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Angola, Malawi and Swaziland were hit by massive floods which effected food crop and livestock production.

Latest News

  1. AFCON: 46 hurt in Zambia victory celebrations09/02Over 40 casualty cases were recorded Wednesday night at Zambia's University Teaching Hospital (UTH) after post-match celebrations turned violent …
  2. African Peer Review Mechanism making progress08/02In 2003 the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the continental development plan, initiated the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM…
  3. Combating HIV infections among African women08/02With a lack of knowledge and power, African women continue to bear the brunt of HIV infections.
  4. Legume cultivation booms in Western Kenya07/02Small Holder Farmers (SHFs) who traditionally relied on seed companies for all their seeds are now bulking their own legume seeds for their farms.
  5. Malawi vendors chase out Chinese07/02Vendors in Kalonga, the Northern district of Malawi, on Wednesday petitioned the District Commissioner to flash out all Chinese nationals who are doin…
  6. Zim: Informal sector urged to join HIV battle05/02While the Harare City council is busy engaging in running battles with city vendors, Health Minister has called for authorities to devise ways to form…
  7. Elections: Wole Soyinka warns Mugabe, Wade03/02The Nigerian Nobel Prize winner for literature said heads of states who are trying to cling to power suffer the same fate as the dictators who were sw…
  8. AU elections rescheduled for June in Malawi01/02Following a deadlock during Monday's African Union elections, with a tie between former wife to South African president Jacob Zuma, Home Affairs …
  9. Senegal in turmoil as protest intensifies01/02Hundreds of anti-government protesters Tuesday gathered in the central Dakar, Senegal to show their dissatisfaction over the incumbent president Abdou…
  10. Zimbabwe’s inflation still favourable -…01/02Zimbabwe's annual headline inflation still compared favourably with economies in the region, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono said o…
  11. AFCON 2012: Sudan qualifies after four decades31/01The Sudanese national team has sealed a historic win over the Stallions of Burkina Faso.
  12. Senegalese opposition to intensify protests31/01Opposition and civil society groups in Senegal have vowed to increase their fight against incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade's presidential bid.
  13. Malawi: Rights coalition condemn stripping of…30/01The 39 members of the Solidarity for African Women's Rights Coalition based in 18 African countries have vehemently condemned the stripping of wo…
  14. Kenya to deworm five million children annually30/01Kenya launched the second phase of its national deworming programme at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012, aiming to treat 5 million childre…
  15. Benin’s Yayi Boni is AU’s new…30/01President Yayi Boni of Benin Republic has been elected chairperson of the African Union in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa
News archive