Over 400 lives claimed as Zambia faces deadliest cholera outbreak in 20 years - Reporter Joseph Bonner

Zambia is currently facing a severe cholera outbreak that has resulted in over 400 deaths and more than 10,000 infections. As a result, schools in the country have been ordered to remain closed after the holiday season. A soccer stadium in the capital has been converted into a treatment center, and the government is launching a mass vaccination campaign while providing clean water to affected communities. The outbreak began in October and is strongly linked to poverty and inadequate access to clean water. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has referred to the fatality rate of around 4% as "devastatingly high," considering that treated cholera typically has a death rate of less than 1%. Similar outbreaks have occurred in neighboring countries such as Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, resulting in over 200,000 cases and 3,000 deaths in southern Africa since the beginning of 2023. Malawi experienced its worst cholera outbreak in decades in 2023.. Reporter Joseph Bonner