Blitz Bureau
LUSAKA: The European Union has allocated 150,000 euros to help Zambia’s response to the cholera outbreak, according to a press statement, reported IANS. The funding will bolster the efforts of the Zambia Red Cross Society in providing much-needed relief, including clean water, healthcare, sanitation and hygiene, as well as help people mitigate transmission risk through community engagement.
According to the statement, the emergency response project will run for five months until the end of August 2025 and is expected to reach the affected people in the hardest-hit provinces of Copperbelt and Muchinga. The funding, the statement said, is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the disaster response emergency fund of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Xinhua news agency reported.
Since the outbreak of the waterborne disease in December last year, cumulative cholera cases in the country have risen to 351, with nine deaths.
The Zambian Government, working with other partners, is implementing a multi-faceted response strategy focused on cholera prevention, effective case management, and community engagement, the statement said.
According to the World Health Organisation, cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio Cholerae. It is a global public health threat and indicates inequity and lack of social and economic development. Access to safe water, basic sanitation and hygiene is essential to prevent cholera and other waterborne diseases. Most people with cholera have mild or moderate diarrhoea and can be treated with oral rehydration solution (ORS). However, the disease can progress rapidly, so starting treatment quickly is vital to save lives. Patients with severe disease need intravenous fluids, ORS and antibiotics.
Cholera can cause severe acute watery diarrhoea, which can be fatal within hours if untreated. Most people infected with Vibrio Cholerae do not develop symptoms but can spread the bacteria through their faeces for 1–10 days. Symptoms appear 12 hours to five days after infection.
