Zambia has commenced the administration of the oral cholera vaccine. On Tuesday authorities rolled out some doses in in Matero township, one of the affected shanty compounds of Lusaka, the country’s capital, most affected by the current outbreak.
According to health authorities, the countrywide cholera outbreak has so far killed 363 people, 30% of which were children under the age of five, and sickened more than 9,500.
The outbreak also prompted the government to postpone the reopening of schools, which were meant to start on January 8, as the country tries to battle the deadly waterborne disease.
The outbreak, which started in early October has spread to most parts of the country but the largest number of recorded cases are in the capital city of Lusaka.