Zanzibar has experienced 17 cholera outbreaks since 1978, recording more than 14 000 cases and over 200 deaths. During the last outbreak, from 2015 to 2016, the government initiated a multisectoral response, incorporating all ministries. The result is that, for the past five years, Zanzibar has not recorded a single cholera case.
The Ministry of Health built effective wastewater drainage systems and rolled out a comprehensive community sensitization programme on environmental sanitation and hygiene. Over 5000 hygiene kits and cholera information products were distributed to households, along with latrines and household cleaning equipment. The number of toilets in households increased from 59% in 2020, to over 70% by 2022.
“The various ministries and partners helped us,” says Nassor Ahmed Mazrui, Zanzibar's Minister of Heath, also commending World Health Organization (WHO) for strongly supporting the response to the most recent outbreak.