Zambia to Receive 1 Million Doses of Cholera Vaccines from WHO

By Xinhua 

January 7, 2024

This photo taken on May 21, 2023 shows the logo of the World Health Organization (WHO) with the WHO headquarters in the background in Geneva, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has pledged to provide Zambia with one million doses of cholera vaccines to help the southern African country fight the waterborne disease, state media reported on Friday.

Roma Chilengi, the director-general of the Zambia National Public Health Institute, said the UN agency, through its office in Zambia, has pledged to provide cholera vaccines to help control the cholera outbreak, the state-run Times of Zambia quoted him as saying. He said the country requires about 7 million doses of cholera vaccines, adding that the WHO is also engaged in offering both technical and material support to help the country tackle the waterborne disease.

Zambia has been battling a cholera outbreak, with the national capital of Lusaka the hardest hit. The country has recorded more than 4,000 cumulative cases and about 150 deaths after fresh outbreaks in October last year, according to the Ministry of Health. About 27 districts in six of the country’s 10 provinces have reported cholera cases.