Highlights
Cumulative number of suspected/confirmed cholera cases for URT is 9,240 with 132 cumulative total deaths as 18th November.
12 regions on mainland reported a total of 81 new suspected Cholera cases on 18th November.
Kigoma, Singida, Mwanza and Dar es Salaam are reporting more than 10 cases per dayNumber of cases are gradually decreasing in mainland over the past one week (12 Nov) from 112 seven days average to 94. Dar es salaam carries the highest burden (49.7%) of all cases in the outbreak.
Zanzibar has reported a total of 380 cholera cases and 4 deaths. 90 new cases reported from Pemba between 9th-19 th November.
WHO have finalized their Cholera response plan
Situation Overview
Tanzania is battling a major cholera outbreak which has so far affected nineteen of the thirty regions in the country.The outbreak started in Dar es Salaam, in late August 2015, and has progressively extended to nineteen regions of Tanzania, stretching local capacities and resources, with high risk in terms of lives and economic impact.
Cumulatively, 9,240 cholera cases (both Mainland and Zanzibar) and 116 deaths have been recorded (as of November 18). Over 43% of the cases are reported from Dar es Salaam. The case fatality rate of 1.4% is considered high by WHO standards.
In Zanzibar the outbreak was first reported 19th September 2015 and a total of 380 cases (206 from Unguja and 174 from Pemba) and 4 deaths have to date been reported from the two major Islands making the Case Fatality Rate 1.1%. Pemba’s first case was reported on the 1st November 2015 and there has been a sharp increase in number of cases in the period 9th -18th November with an addition 90 cases reported.
A joint field visit to Pemba to assist preparedness and response to the outbreak in the island, is ongoing between 16-20 November.
The current outbreak is unusual because of its vast geographical spread within a short period of time. The beginning of the rainy season will have an adverse negative affect of the containment of the situation. Given current outbreak trends and calculating an attack rate1 of 1%2 , the projected number of symptomatic individuals is 65,250 cases to be targeted for treatment interventions, based on the assumption that about 20% of symptomatic cases of cholera develop severe form of the disease which requires treatment for dehydration. Areas most severely affected are characterized by poor communities living in unplanned largely because of poor access to safe water and environment.
A number of measures have been taken to date to combat the outbreak. However, the magnitude and spread of this outbreak is beyond the capacity of host the government due to the manpower and financial resources required to contain it. The Cholera outbreak response will require a minimum of six months to ensure sustained support to the affected regions in the country.