Zambia’s Catholic Bishops Express Solidarity amid “persisting situation of Cholera”

They acknowledge with appreciation the partnerships in addressing the cholera situation that, according to a January 27 Reliefweb report, “has escalated into a critical public health emergency, with the epidemic now afflicting all ten of the nation's provinces and urgently demanding an integrated response.”

“The alarming spread has resulted in 62 districts grappling with the outbreak, leading to 14900 reported cases and 560 deaths, translating to a case fatality rate of 3.8%,” the Reliefweb report further indicates.

In their collective statement ZCCB members urge the people of God in the Southern African nation to continue adhering to the safety measures that the Ministry of Health put in place as part of the efforts to prevent the spread of the bacterial infection.

They further “call upon various organizations and individuals to supplement Government efforts through generous donations and technical support.”

“The desirable ultimate goal is obviously to find permanent solutions that prevent recurrence of this outbreak in future,” the Catholic Church leaders say.

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They go on laud “the frontline medical personnel, the volunteers and other stakeholders that have selflessly responded to this emergency situation.”

“May those who have died in this outbreak be granted eternal rest. May Mary the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Mother and Health of the Sick pray for us,” ZCCB members implore.

In a January 18 statement, Caritas Zambia called upon the government to put in place “decisive measures” to combat the outbreak of cholera and the “insidious” COVID-19 resurgence in the country, especially in learning institutions.

“The health and education of our children hang in the balance, and we must ensure that the ongoing Cholera crisis does not derail their right to a safe and quality education. Ensuring that children live in a clean and healthy environment is critical,” Caritas Zambia stated. 

On January 22, the Executive Director of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR), a Zambia-based entity of the Society of Jesus, proposed the stemming of urbanization as one of the ways to deal with the cholera outbreak in the Southern African nation.