Zambian President, Hakainde Hichilema, cited poor sanitation in densely populated towns as a significant contributing factor of the cholera outbreak.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has issued a call for urban residents to consider relocating to rural areas, emphasizing the imperative to address a cholera outbreak responsible for approximately 300 fatalities.
Citing inadequate sanitation in densely populated urban zones as conducive to cholera transmission, President Hichilema advocates for decongesting major towns by encouraging citizens to move to rural regions, where he asserts there is ample space and optimal sanitation conditions.
With over 7,500 reported cholera cases nationwide since October, the health ministry notes a recent surge of more than 500 new cases and 17 deaths in the last 24 hours.
As part of precautionary measures, the reopening of schools has been postponed. The outbreak has affected eight of Zambia’s ten provinces, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to dispatch approximately one million cholera vaccine doses in an effort to contain the spread.
During a visit to the Heroes Stadium Cholera Treatment Centre in the capital, Lusaka, President Hichilema expressed the government’s commitment to implementing “hard to swallow” measures to combat the waterborne disease.
He attributed the proliferation of poorly planned informal settlements in towns to individuals moving without clear objectives, urging young people to consider relocating to rural areas for farming opportunities and highlighting the availability of land and clean water in villages.
President Hichilema outlined plans to upgrade existing slums in urban areas and prevent the emergence of new ones. Additionally, neighboring countries Mozambique and Zimbabwe have heightened surveillance to prevent cross-border transmission, with Zimbabwe grappling with a prolonged struggle against cholera due to a lack of clean water.
Cholera, a bacterial disease spread through contaminated water or food, leads to severe dehydration and can be fatal within hours if left untreated.
