Government Confirms Schools To Reopen As Cholera Cases Fall

Health Minister Sylvia Masebo has confirmed a promising decrease in both the infection rate and daily fatalities of cholera nationwide. In the past 24 hours, there has only been a single death among 182 confirmed cases.

The outbreak began in October 2023 after clusters of cases were found in the Matero and Kanyama suburbs outside Lusaka.

At a media briefing in the capital yesterday, Education Minister Douglas Siakalima told reporters that schools across the country are poised to reopen on Monday February 12th following the steady decrease of cases.

The Ministry of Health carried out inspections at 1,815 schools in densely populated Lusaka Province, affirming that it's safe to resume normal activities. Schools have been closed since December in an effort to minimise the spread of the disease. Siakalima assured that rigorous assessments would continue even after reopening, especially in the Lusaka district, as well as noting concerns in both Copperbelt and Central Provinces

A vaccination effort has reached more than 1.8 million individuals in areas where the disease is most prevalent, aiming to curb its spread and safeguard communities. The British High Commissioner to Zambia, Nicholas Woolley, praised frontline health workers as “unsung heroes” in a post on X.