Lusaka — Zambian health authorities on Thursday announced that measures have been heightened to contain the outbreak of cholera which has now spread to 12 districts in the country.

Minister of Health Sylvia Masebo said a multisectoral approach headed by the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit has been constituted to ensure that the water-borne disease was contained.

"As part of this multisectoral approach, the National Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit has been activated. It has since played a pivotal role in orchestrating a coordinated and effective response to this cholera outbreak," she said during a joint press briefing with other relevant ministries.

She said that the multisectoral approach has resulted in the mobilization of expertise and resources from different ministries, adding that this has bolstered the country's capacity to respond comprehensively to the cholera outbreak.

The measures include the provision of clean water in affected areas especially in Lusaka, the country's capital, which has been hard hit, she said, adding that community engagement and awareness campaigns have been heightened as well as risk communication engagement with key stakeholders.

According to a daily national update, the country recorded 116 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative cases since January 2023 to 3,404, while five people died, bringing the total deaths to 93. ∎