UN supports Zambia’s response to cholera outbreak

The UN team in Zambia is supporting the government's response to cholera outbreak along with ongoing severe floods, said a UN spokesman

United Nations: The UN team in Zambia is supporting the government’s response to the cholera outbreak along with ongoing severe floods that have displaced more than 170,000 people in 22 districts of Zambia, said a UN spokesman.

The disaster challenges the access to basic services, like schools and hospitals. This has also impacted agriculture and livestock and destroyed critical infrastructure, like roads, bridges, schools, clinics and houses, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, on Friday.

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“Our team is providing technical support to authorities while mobilising funding to bridge a gap of $32 million for risk communication, water and sanitation, food and other items, among other needs. We are also tackling a cholera outbreak in three districts, where 90 cases and three deaths have been recorded,” the spokesman added as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

Since December 2022, the UN Children’s Fund has provided 4.5 ton of granular chlorine, 20,000 bottles of liquid chlorine for household water treatment, and 250 containers of disinfectant, and other critical supplies to keep the water safe, he said.

For its part, the World Health Organisation is working with authorities to strengthen assessment capacities along with surveillance, contact tracing, and lab preparations for cholera vaccination, the spokesman added.