WaterAid warns of regional cholera epidemic as cases spread across Southern Africa

on
January 24, 2024
Lillian Lungu, 38, has lost her husband to 2024 Cholera outbreak, outskirts of Lusaka, February 2024.
Image: WaterAid/ Angel Phiri

Focus required to fix root causes: lack of access to clean water and sanitation.

Zambia is recording over 400 new cases of cholera a day, with young people especially impacted. Schools and colleges remain closed and one of the main football stadiums in the capital Lusaka has been turned into a treatment center. International NGO WaterAid is supporting a government-led coalition to try to further contain the spread. 

WaterAid has warned that, without addressing the root cause of cholera – a lack of clean water and sanitation (WASH), there may be a further rise in cases across the region. While it is important to deal with the current emergency, the NGO is urging leaders to allocate adequate financial and human resources to address the longer-term infrastructure issues. 

WaterAid Regional Director, Robert Kampala, said: 

“Cholera reflects deep inequality status of society and the inadequacy of sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene access, especially among poorer communities. Across the region, in recent years – particularly in Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique - we are seeing the devastating consequences of slow progress in water and sanitation funding as lives are lost and livelihoods needlessly destroyed. 

“These frequent cholera emergencies affect not only people and communities. They also undermine economies; productivity and economic growth.  

“We urgently need to see investment in water and sanitation increased, at pace – this will save lives and safeguard livelihoods and equip the region to deal with the disease in a sustainable way to ensure that it becomes a thing of the past. 

“By taking a pro-active stance, national governments will be able to save precious resources and boost economic development.”  

The statistics show the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) suffers inadequate access to WASH leading to higher vulnerability to cholera and other pandemics.  

UNICEF data indicates that, since the first known case in Zambia in October 2023, more than 200,000 cases and over 3000 deaths have been reported. In Mozambique, basic access to hygiene at household level is very low at around 26%.1 In schools, it is estimated at 15% and in healthcare facilities at 40%2. The proportion of the population practicing open defecation is estimated at 20.7%.  

For the short-term WaterAid urges national governments to:  

  • Provide adequate resources and increase capacities of public institutions to deal with and arrest the on-going outbreak;  
  • Step up public awareness education and information dissemination on cholera especially among marginalized and poorer communities which have limited access to clean water, sanitation and good hygiene;  
  • Provide the required toolkits such as clean water, handwashing soap, hand washing stations and chlorine tablets amongst others to ensure that those that are directly affected can better cope with the outbreak;  
  • Support and strengthen the capacities of health workers who may be overwhelmed with the on-going situation.  

For the medium to long-term, WaterAid urges national governments:  

In line with the SADC Regional Hygiene Strategy and the Ngor Commitments, SADC Member states should ensure universal access to resilient, inclusive and sustainable WASH and address the root causes by:  

  • Allocating adequate financial, human and technical resources to address current limited WASH facilities and infrastructure by progressively allocating a minimum of 0.5% of annual GDP 
  • Focusing on the poorest, most marginalized and unserved aimed at progressively eliminating inequalities in access and use and implement national and local strategies with an emphasis on equity and sustainability;   
  • Enabling and engaging private sector in developing innovative sanitation and hygiene products and services. especially for the marginalized and unserved 

ENDS  

For more information, please contact: 

Aneesha Hampton [email protected] Or call our after-hours press line on +44 (0)7887 521 552, or email [email protected]. 

Notes to Editors: 

WaterAid 

WaterAid is working to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. The international not-for-profit organization works in 22 countries to change the lives of the poorest and most marginalized people. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached 28 million people with clean water and 29 million people with decent toilets. 

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