Peter Moyo
HARARE, Zimbabwe – March 26, 2025 – The Zimbabwean Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) has reported 44 suspected cholera cases and three deaths during Week 9 of 2025.
The cases were recorded in three districts: Mt Darwin District in Mashonaland Central Province (1 case), Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe (UMP) District in Mashonaland East Province (25 cases), and Beitbridge District in Matabeleland South Province (4 cases). This update was part of the ministry’s weekly disease surveillance report released yesterday.
The cumulative cholera figures for 2025, as reported by the MoHCC, stand at 225 suspected cases, 30 confirmed cases, three suspected deaths, and three confirmed deaths. The data does not specify the timeframe for these cumulative totals beyond the year 2025, but they reflect the situation up to the end of Week 9.
The distribution of the 44 suspected cases this week shows UMP District as the most affected area, accounting for 25 cases, followed by Beitbridge District with 4 cases, and Mt Darwin District with 1 case. The three deaths reported for the week align with the cumulative total of three suspected and three confirmed deaths for the year, though the ministry did not specify the districts where these deaths occurred.
Zimbabwe has a documented history of cholera outbreaks. The most severe occurred between August 2008 and July 2009, with 98,585 confirmed cases and 4,288 deaths recorded across the country, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). A later outbreak from September 2018 to March 2019 resulted in 10,730 suspected cases and 68 deaths, primarily in Harare, as reported by the MoHCC and WHO. More recently, an outbreak beginning in February 2023 in Chegutu, Mashonaland West Province, spread to all 10 provinces and 61 of 62 districts. By March 17, 2024, it had caused 28,974 suspected cases and 603 deaths, with a case fatality rate of 2.0%, based on MoHCC data. That outbreak was declared over in August 2024.
In the 2023-2024 outbreak, Harare Province reported the highest number of cases (8,059), followed by Manicaland (7,490) and Mashonaland Central (2,541) as of March 17, 2024. UMP District, currently reporting 25 cases, and nearby Hwedza District in Mashonaland East Province were also affected during that period, though specific case numbers for those districts were not isolated in national reports. Beitbridge District in Matabeleland South and Mt Darwin District in Mashonaland Central similarly fall within provinces with prior cholera activity.
The MoHCC has not provided details on the causes of the 2025 outbreak or specific response measures in the Week 9 report. Historically, cholera in Zimbabwe has been linked to contaminated water sources and inadequate sanitation, as noted in WHO and MoHCC assessments of past outbreaks. The 2008-2009 epidemic was driven by a breakdown in water and sanitation infrastructure, while the 2023-2024 outbreak saw significant transmission in urban and rural areas with limited access to clean water.
The current case fatality rate for 2025, calculated from the cumulative figures, is 1.3% (3 deaths out of 225 suspected cases). This is lower than the 2.0% reported in March 2024 during the previous outbreak. The MoHCC has not released data on laboratory confirmation processes, treatment efforts, or geographic spread beyond the three districts named for Week 9.
This outbreak follows Zimbabwe’s successful containment of cholera in August 2024, after a multi-agency response involving the MoHCC, WHO, UNICEF, and other partners provided oral cholera vaccines, water treatment supplies, and health education. The recurrence of cases in 2025 indicates that cholera remains a public health challenge in the country, particularly in Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central, and Matabeleland South provinces.
Further updates from the MoHCC will be needed to clarify the scope and trajectory of this outbreak. As of March 25, 2025, the reported data highlights 44 new suspected cases and 3 deaths in a single week, with UMP District as the primary area of concern.
