Oxfam: African Countries Face Cholera, COVID-19

Oxfam – Sudan Events

Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe are facing an unprecedented surge of cholera cases, Oxfam warned on Saturday.
The aid agency says the situation could become uncontrollable and difficult to manage due to a steady increase of Covid-19 and cholera cases and the onset of the rainy season, especially as the majority of vulnerable communities have no access to clean water and sanitation facilities – both of which are essential to prevent the spread of cholera.
Machinda Marongwe, Oxfam in Southern Africa Programme Director, said: “The unprecedented rate of cases and deaths is terrifying, and utterly overwhelming the health systems of these countries.”
The Zambian government has been forced to delay the reopening of schools by three weeks and has designated the National football stadium as a treatment centre to ease pressure on health facilities.
Zimbabwe has recorded 1839 cases and 39 deaths in the last seven days. It has seen 16,568 cases and 67 confirmed deaths – with a further 297 suspected deaths – since February last year.
Mozambique has seen its deadliest cholera outbreak in decades, with over 37,000 cases over the past year.
Malawi has declared a public health emergency following 1700 deaths since the outbreak began in November 2022.
Marongwe, said: “Governments and agencies in the region need immediate funding to swiftly implement activities and projects that would help improve people’s hygiene and access to clean water, since these two factors are key in the fight against the spread.”
According to Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), only 61 per cent of the region population currently has access to safe drinking water and only two out of every five people have access to adequate sanitation.
Ezra Banda of Keepers Zambia Foundation, Oxfam’s partner implementing the cholera response: “The challenge with many Zambians now is information gap on how they can prevent contracting cholera and this is exacerbated with lack of access to clean and safe water but also sanitation facilities.”
Since the outbreak last year, Oxfam has been closely working with local partners and government departments and ministries in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe to support affected communities. Oxfam and partners have also been conducting awareness campaigns to help curb the spread of the outbreak. However, the agency says a further $3 million is needed in order to scale up its response.
According to Zambia’s Ministry of Health, Lusaka saw a 71.2 per cent jump in cases and 175 per cent increase in death in the week leading up to 4 January.
In Zambia, Oxfam and partners, Keepers Zambia Foundation, are conducting a door-to-door distribution of hygiene kits to affected households in Lusaka.
In Zimbabwe, over 550,000 people have been supported with Cholera Response kits, hygiene promotion activities, water quality monitoring, rehabilitation of water points and setting up bucket chlorination points.
In Malawi, Oxfam has supported 70,000 people with various interventions including the rehabilitation of water pumping and distribution system at Katuli Health Centre in Mangochi district, rehabilitation of 42 boreholes and drilling of six boreholes, and distribution of cholera hygiene kits.