The Southern African Development Community (Sadc) Heads of State and government are set to hold a virtual extra-ordinary summit Friday to discuss the cholera situation in the region.
In a statement, the regional bloc said the summit will among others, receive and consider the report regarding the cholera situation in some member states, their state of preparedness, and responses to the outbreaks.
The extra-ordinary summit comes against a background of a recent multi-country outbreak of the cholera pandemic. The fight against cholera aligns with the African Regional Framework for the Implementation of the Global Strategy for Cholera Prevention and Control, 2018 - 2030. The framework supports the new global strategy for cholera control at the country level, providing a definitive pathway towards a world where cholera no longer threatens public health.
Ahead of the summit, health ministers from eastern and southern African countries met on January 27 and 29 to map the way forward.
The two meetings received technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) for eastern and southern Africa, and the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Zimbabwe and Zambia are among some of the worst-affected countries in the region.
