Health Minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya has declared Lusaka as a cholera free city.

Updating Parliament on the status of the cholera outbreak, Wednesday, Dr Chilufya said 19 days had passed since the last cholera case was recorded.

“A number of cases that were investigated proved negative. Mr Speaker, today marks 19 days after the last case of cholera was recorded. I, therefore, declare the cholera outbreak as over in Lusaka. Mr Speaker, I wish to remind the House that this time last year, we were at the peak of the cholera outbreak and we saw 5,346 patients affected with 97 deaths. In the recent outbreak, we have only recorded seven cases and no deaths,” Dr Chilufya said.

And he explained that the last case of cholera was diagnosed on February 12, 2019, with zero deaths.

“On 29th January 2019, the Ministry of Health, through its surveillance intelligence unit, the Zambian National Public Health Institute investigated and confirmed a case of cholera in Kabanana area in Lusaka’s Chipata sub-District. The index case was a 38-year-old male from Kabanana who presented at Chipata level one hospital with dehydration caused by severe diarrhoea and vomiting. Laboratory testing revealed cholera and the cause of the disease. Five days later, another case [of] a 38-year-old female from Garden Chilulu was confirmed for cholera. Five more cases have since been confirmed and the last case was confirmed on the 12th February, 2019. A total of seven confirmed cases have been recorded. Mr Speaker, the cases came from Kabanana; Chilulu; Kamwala and Kabanana Overspill and Mtendere [with] all cases presented with severe dehydration due to acute diarrhoea and vomiting and all patients were treated in the cholera treatment centres within then sub-districts in which they reside,” said Dr Chilufya.