Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract 3| Published: 11 Jul 2025
Patricia Simuzingili1,&, William Ngosa1, Martha Malasa1, Aliness Banda2, Kabukabu Akufuna2, Wallace Luhanga3, Nyambe Sinyange1,2
1Zambia Field Epidemiology Training Program, Lusaka, Zambia, 2Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI), 3Northern Provincial Health Office
&Corresponding author: Patricia Simuzingili, Zambia Field Epidemiology Training Program, Lusaka, Zambia, Email address: patriciangezi2@gmail.com
Received: 03 Jun 2024, Accepted: 11 Aug 2024, Published: 11 Jul 2025
This is part of the Proceedings of the Zambia Field Epidemiology Training Program Alumni Conference, September 11 – 13, 2024
Keywords: Cholera, Diarrhoea, Outbreak, Nsama, Zambia
©Patricia Simuzingili 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: Patricia Simuzingili et al. Cholera Outbreak in Nsama District, Zambia August 2023 – An unmatched case control Study. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(Conf Proc 4):3. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO4-00003
In August 2023, Nsumbu Rural Health Centre reported an increase in the number of clients who presented with acute watery diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration. By 3rd September 2023, 171 patients and one death were reported. The district experiences recurrent cholera outbreaks due to inadequate access to safe drinking water and appropriate sanitation facilities within the fishing camps situated around Lake Tanganyika.
We investigated the cases to establish the existence of an outbreak and identify its cause.
We conducted a case-control study among people who presented with vomiting, acute watery diarrhea and dehydration at Nsumbu RHC between 5th August and 3rd September, 2023. Controls were people without symptoms from the same household. We collected stool samples from 44 suspect cases which were tested for cholera. We reviewed health facility records and conducted an active case search; 17 additional cases were found.
We administered a structured questionnaire to patients and non-patient household which included questions about food, water and sanitation exposures. We analyzed the data using frequencies, percentages, and the median. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds of having the illness.
The median age was 35 years (IQR: 17–49), Majority 88% (480/545) resided in urban areas. Vibrio Cholerae was detected in 66% (29/44) of patients with laboratory results. Feacal coliforms of 2 colons/100ml level were detected in the drinking water source samples (acceptable limit: <1 colon/100 ml). Consumption of untreated water was found to be associated with the outbreak (OR=2.05; 95% CI=1.22–3.44).
Menu