Michael Gwarisa
Zimbabwe has not recorded any confirmed cholera cases in the past 15 days, a senior official from the Ministry of Health and Child Care has said, signalling progress in containing the latest outbreak.
Recent cases were largely confined to Rushinga, a community along the Zimbabwe Mozambique border. The index case involved a male patient with a history of travel to Mozambique, which is currently battling a cholera outbreak linked to flooding and poor water and sanitation conditions.
In an interview with HealthTimes, Dr Isaac Phiri said the country had performed well in managing the outbreak.
“Currently, we do not have any new cholera cases. For the past 15 days, we have not recorded any cases in the country. The total number of cases since 18 February is 36, including two deaths,” said Dr Phiri.
He added that the country had managed to contain the outbreak and prevent widespread transmission.
“You can see that Zimbabwe is doing very well in terms of managing cholera. We managed to contain the few cases, as well as limit the number of deaths and the spread of the disease to other parts of the country,” he said.
Despite this progress, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that Zimbabwe needs to strengthen its cholera case management systems to reduce fatalities and better control future outbreaks.
Professor Yap Boum, Deputy Incident Manager at Africa CDC, said Zimbabwe currently has one of the highest case fatality rates on the continent.
“When we look at Zimbabwe, which currently has the highest case fatality ratio at 3.2 percent, with 24 deaths out of 758 cases recorded between 2025 and 2026, this highlights the need for critical support in case management so that we can reduce deaths and stop the spread of the disease,” said Professor Boum.
Zimbabwe and Rwanda are among the latest countries to report cholera outbreaks in 2026. According to Africa CDC, trends over the past six weeks show increasing cases in several countries.
“When we compare the evolution over the last six weeks across different countries, we see increases in Angola, which has recorded a 140 percent rise. Angola has already experienced two waves of cholera, making it critical to monitor the situation closely. We are also seeing increases in Zimbabwe and Zambia, which indicate ongoing transmission,” he said.
In the Southern African region, Angola remains the most affected country, with 36,632 cases and 904 deaths recorded between 2025 and 2026.
Across the continent, 14 African Union member states have reported cholera outbreaks since the beginning of 2026, with a total of 23,776 cases and 480 deaths. Africa accounts for 59 percent of global cholera cases and 99 percent of global deaths, highlighting the disproportionate burden faced by the continent.
The current case fatality rate stands at 2.03 percent, which is above the global target of less than 1 percent.
“This is still very high. Our goal is to reduce the case fatality rate to at least 1 percent,” Professor Boum said.
He added that Africa CDC is supporting countries to strengthen national cholera response systems, including the establishment or elevation of National Cholera Task Forces.
“In Zimbabwe, the task force needs to be strengthened at the highest level, with leadership from the President, alongside the Ministers of Health, Finance, and those responsible for water, sanitation and hygiene. This ensures a coordinated response that not only addresses outbreaks but also invests in long-term infrastructure to prevent future occurrences,” he said.
The Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique remain the most affected countries, accounting for 84 percent of cases and 92 percent of deaths reported in 2026.
Meanwhile, Sudan has declared the end of its cholera outbreak. Authorities are now focusing on post outbreak reviews to identify lessons learned and inform strategies aimed at eliminating cholera by 2030.
Although several countries have recorded declines in cases, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, South Sudan, Burundi, Malawi and Somalia, the risk of continued transmission remains high. This is particularly the case in humanitarian and displacement settings, where access to clean water and sanitation remains limited.
Public health experts continue to stress that sustained investment in water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure, alongside improved case management, is critical to ending cholera outbreaks across the continent.
