Cholera kills 30 and infects 1,622 in Zambia
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Mwebantu
Wikimedia Commons · Usage libreThe cholera outbreak in Zambia has killed 30 people and recorded 1,622 cases between 28 July and 28 October, according to Health Minister Roma Chilengi. Twenty districts in six provinces are affected, while 104 patients remain hospitalised, Mwebantu reports.
Zambia has recorded 1,622 cholera cases and 30 deaths since the outbreak began on 28 July 2026, Health Minister Roma Chilengi told Parliament. The figures cover the period up to 28 October, when 74 new cases were reported in 12 districts, with no further deaths.
A total of 228 cases have been confirmed by laboratory tests, 1,488 patients have been discharged from hospital after recovering and 104 remain hospitalised. The outbreak affects 20 districts in six provinces. Lusaka province accounts for 1,090 cases, followed by Central (298), Luapula (133), Northern (88), Southern (11) and Copperbelt (two), according to Roma Chilengi.
The districts of Mumbwa and Chisamba, where one and two cases have been recorded respectively, are the two newly affected areas. Of the 30 deaths, 16 occurred in communities before patients could reach a health facility and 14 in medical facilities. The government is stepping up awareness-raising, patient referrals and clinical care, the minister said.
The rising toll extends an outbreak that had already claimed 13 lives by 6 October, according to the previous cholera toll in Zambia. On 4 October, more than 159 cases had been reported in Chibombo district in the centre of the country, where the outbreak had spread.
