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Case Studies

Case studies promoting collective experiences seeking to strengthen community-led approach within public health emergency response

Coordinated Response to Cholera and Drought in Zambia (2023–2024)

Description

In late 2023, Zambia faced a significant cholera outbreak that posed severe public health challenges, particularly in densely populated urban areas, such as Lusaka, the capital city. The cholera outbreak was first reported in October 2023, with transmission rates peaking in mid-December 2023.

The outbreak initially emerged in peri-urban areas of Lusaka Province. In January and February 2024, the outbreak spread to multiple geographical areas, especially Southern, Central, Copperbelt, and Eastern provinces. At the height of the outbreak, more than 10 million people were at risk of contracting cholera. Most deaths occurred outside health facilities; an indication of delayed care-seeking.

In addition to the cholera outbreak, in early 2024 Zambia faced one of the driest agricultural seasons in more than forty years, which caused major crop and livestock losses. These agricultural losses severely affected the health, wellbeing, and livelihoods of communities across the country. According to reports from the UN, 84 out of 116 districts in the country were affected by this crisis.

On 29 February 2024, the President of Zambia declared a national emergency due to the prolonged drought. On 16 April 2024, the joint rapid needs assessment that was
commissioned by the Agriculture and Food Security Cluster and the National Government Drought Response Appeal indicated that 6.6 million people needed urgent humanitarian assistance (33 percent of Zambia’s total population according to the World Bank). This included more than three million children under 18 years of age, the majority of which lived in the provinces of Lusaka, Luapula, Western, Southern, Central, and North-Western. The latter three provinces, home to 1.3 million people, were most affected by the drought.


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DETAILS

Organisation

The Collective Service

Emergency

Cholera, Drought

Keywords

Community engagement, Community feedback, Data collection, Disease outbreaks, Epidemics