WINDHOEK, Jan. 15 — Namibia is continuing to manage a cholera outbreak in the Grootfontein District of the northern Otjozondjupa Region, with no fatalities reported so far, an official at the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) said on Thursday.
The outbreak, declared in November 2025, is the country’s second cholera outbreak in 2025 after a previous one in the Kunene Region that was successfully brought to an end in August last year.
As of Jan. 12, a total of 99 suspected cases have been recorded in Grootfontein, MoHSS Executive Director Penda Ithindi said in a public address.
No deaths have been reported, a situation he attributed to early detection, appropriate case management, and the prompt response of health services.
However, Ithindi said transmission remains ongoing, with between zero and two cases reported daily, but described the outbreak as limited in scale.
He noted that the government has deployed a national multi-sectoral response team to the affected area to intensify surveillance, testing, and case management, while also addressing water, sanitation, and hygiene challenges identified as key drivers of the outbreak.
With schools having recently reopened across the country, the health ministry is also collaborating with education authorities to ensure educational institutions are safe and communities are adequately informed, the official said.
Namibia recorded its first cholera cases in nearly 10 years in 2025 after laboratory confirmation of suspected infections. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
