WHO Zambia launches Cholera Assessment Mission in Central Province amid growing outb...

In response to the increasing number of cholera cases in Zambia’s Central Province, WHO Zambia has undertaken a crucial mission to assess the situation on the ground and map areas for immediate support.

On 15 December 2023, Central Province recorded its first cholera case in Mumbwa district. Since then, the province has witnessed a surge in cholera cases across ten districts, with Chibombo, Kabwe, and Mumbwa being high case-yielding districts. As of 04 February 2024, Central Province has recorded 1,146 cases with 36 deaths. Sixty-five percent of the deaths are community deaths.

Zambia steps up cervical cancer screening with HPV testing

Lusaka – Zambia has the third highest burden of cervical cancer in the world, with an incidence rate of 65.5 per 100 000 women and a mortality rate of 43.4 per 100 000 women in 2020. Despite being a preventable and treatable disease, cervical cancer accounts for about 23% of all new cancer cases in the country. The peak age at diagnosis is between 40-49 years.

Zambia races to curb fast-spreading cholera outbreak

Lusaka – As the cholera outbreak in Zambia continues to expand rapidly, efforts are being stepped up to halt the spread of disease and save lives. A vaccination campaign is currently underway targeting 1.5 million people, including children, health workers and people at high risk of infection in the worst affected areas.

WHO Director General, Dr Tedros receives prestigious CPHIA Lifetime Achievement Awar...

Lusaka, 28 November 2023 – Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), has been honoured with the prestigious CPHIA Lifetime Achievement Award in Public Health for his unwavering commitment to advancing global health and his transformative leadership during unprecedented crises.  

Dr Tedros received the award at the 3rd International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA) opening ceremony in Lusaka on 27 November 2023. 

Commemorating World Patient Safety Day: Elevating the voice of patients

In a momentous event at the Kitwe Teaching Hospital grounds, healthcare professionals, patients and community members joined the Ministry of Health, WHO and partner organizations to commemorate World Patient Safety Day on September 17, 2023. Under the theme “Engaging Patients for Patient Safety,” the day’s activities emphasized the crucial role that patients, families and caregivers play in ensuring their own safety and that of others within the healthcare system.

Advancing Global Health Security: Zambia successfully concludes her second Joint Ext...

In a significant stride towards strengthening global health security, Zambia successfully concluded its second Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of the International Health Regulations (IHR) core capacities, using the cutting-edge JEE 3.0 tool on 6 October 2023. The comprehensive assessment was conducted from 2 to 6 October 2023 at the Radisson Blu in Livingstone, by twelve external evaluators lead by Dr Allan Mpairwe of the WHO Regional Hub.  

Zambia prioritizes zoonotic diseases

In a step to enhance public health preparedness and protecting the population from emerging zoonotic diseases, Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with the Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI), WHO and other partners held a three-day workshop for the One Health Zoonotic Disease Prioritization (OHZDP) – Zambia from 24 to 26 July, in Livingstone.

Multi-hazard Emergency, Preparedness and Response Plan disseminated in districts

In the wake of several public health events that have unfolded in the recent past and, following the key findings of the WHO coordinated Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of 2017, the Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and WHO conducted a dissemination meeting of the Zambia Multi-hazard Emergency, Preparedness and Response Plan.