WHO provides 1.4 mln doses of oral cholera vaccine to Zambia

In LUSAKA, Zambia on Monday, the first shipment of 1.4 million doses of oral cholera vaccine arrived. The vaccines are intended for people living in cholera hotspots throughout the country.

The targeted recipients for the vaccines are individuals over the age of one in selected high-risk areas in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, which has been at the center of the current outbreak.

This vaccine delivery is part of the 1.7 million doses pledged by the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Sylvia Masebo, the Minister of Health, announced that another batch of vaccines would be arriving soon and that they will be given to people living in areas prone to cholera.

Due to the limited availability of vaccines, the government decided not to conduct mass vaccinations but instead opt for targeted vaccinations. Each person will receive one dose, in contrast to the recommended two doses, in order to reach a larger number of individuals.

The minister emphasized, “The vaccines we have received are not adequate for a countrywide non-selective response. Therefore, they will be deployed in a phased manner in targeted high-risk areas for us to achieve impact in controlling transmission, illness, and death from cholera.”

The minister expressed her gratitude to the partnering organizations that assisted the Ministry of Health in securing the vaccines and the necessary resources to battle cholera.

She also noted that the government’s commitment was unwavering in controlling the current outbreak swiftly.

The acting UN resident coordinator, Cissy Byenkya, delivered remarks stressing the importance of a successful vaccine program in addressing the waterborne disease. She assured continued support from the UN family in Zambia in ongoing cholera containment efforts.

Byenkya expressed concern about the severity of the current outbreak in comparison to previous ones, particularly with a high number of cases and deaths.

The official further noted that most of the individuals affected by the outbreak are young.

Zambia has been combating cholera since October of last year when the waterborne disease outbreak occurred. The disease has impacted 45 of the country’s 160 districts.

As of late, there have been 9,580 cumulative cholera cases, with 418 new cases in the past 24 hours. Additionally, a total of 374 individuals have died, including 12 new deaths in the past 24 hours.

364 people were discharged from the hospital in the last 24 hours, bringing the total discharges to 8,410. Meanwhile, 796 individuals remain admitted.