Health ministers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have dismissed a proposal to declare cholera a public health emergency in the region.
Speaking during the Africa Centre for Disease Control CDC extraordinary session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia yesterday, Chairperson of the CDC board, Sylvia Masebo emphasised the need for individual countries to independently assess the severity of the cholera outbreak.
Ms. Masebo, also Zambia’s Health Minister, urged member states to implement proactive measures to contain the spread of the outbreak, which has affected approximately 15 SADC member states.
Zambia, grappling with one of the most severe outbreaks in decades, has reported nearly 600 deaths and over 16,000 cases since October last year. This marks the country’s worst cholera outbreak since 2017, with recurring incidents dating back to 1977. Both Zimbabwe and Malawi are also contending with the current outbreak.
SADC leaders are scheduled to convene a virtual extraordinary summit on Friday to evaluate the region’s readiness and response strategies in addressing the cholera outbreaks.
