Conference Abstract | Volume 9 (ConfPro8): Abstract 05 | Published: 01 Oct 2026
Mathews Sichalwe1,2,3&, Humphrey Banda1,3, Gregory Bwalya3, Lywaali Maata3, Benson Bowa4, Mwendalubi Hazyondo5, Brian Musalo5, Conrad Chibale1,7, Paul Mulopa1,3,6, Dabwitso Banda1,8, Nyambe Sinyange1,8
1Zambia Field Epidemiology Training Program; 2University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia; 3Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock-National Livestock Epidemiology and Information Centre, Lusaka, Zambia; 4Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock-Central Veterinary Research Institute, Lusaka, Zambia; 5Ministry of Tourism-Department of National Parks and Wildlife, Zambia; 6Levy Mwanawasa Medical University, Luska, Zambia; 7Ministry of Health-Zimba District Health Office, Zambia; 8Zambia National Public Health Institute, Lusaka, Zambia
&Corresponding author: Mathews Sichalwe, Zambia Field Epidemiology Training Program, Email: sichalwem19@gmail.com, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6878-0066
Received: 11 Mar 2026, Accepted: 20 Aug 2026, Published: 01 Oct 2026
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Anthrax, knowledge, practices, outbreak, Zambia
©Mathews Sichalwe et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Epidemiological investigation of an anthrax outbreak at the wildlife-human interface in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, Zambia, October-November 2025. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfPro8):05. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO8-0005
Anthrax is an acute zoonotic disease caused by Bacillus anthracis. On 30 October 2025, a hippopotamus carcass in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park was fed to 36 captive lions, resulting in illness and deaths among the lions, prompting an outbreak investigation. The objectives were to confirm the outbreak, assess the timeliness of detection, notification, and response, map wildlife cases, and evaluate knowledge and practices among at-risk populations.
A descriptive case series investigation was conducted from 16-20 November 2025. Tissue, soil, swabs, and water samples were collected and cultured for B. anthracis isolation. Timeliness was assessed using the 7-1-7 metrics through review of patient health records, veterinary reports and key informant interviews. Wildlife case distribution was mapped using QGIS version 3.44.7. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on knowledge and practices and analysed using Stata 17. Bloom’s taxonomy scale was used to assess knowledge and practices, with ≥60% score regarded as adequate.
A total of three confirmed and 13 suspected wildlife cases, with 10 probable human cases were identified. Outbreak detection occurred seven days after the index event. Notification occurred six days after detection, while public health responses were completed ten days post-notification. A total of 16 wildlife cases were identified and mapped. Among the 25 respondents, knowledge about anthrax was high, with 76% (19/25) having heard of the disease, 72% (18/25) and 64% (16/25) knew it affects wildlife and livestock, respectively. Overall, 60% (15/25) were aware of human infection and vaccination as a means of livestock protection. Only 28% (7/25) however, practised safe carcass disposal, and 48% (12/25) reported handling or consuming potentially contaminated meat.
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