Niël Terblanché
The ministry of health and social services (MoHSS) is investigating a suspected cholera outbreak in the Opuwo District of the Kunene region after several individuals from the same household fell ill and one child died.
According to the ministry, two four-year-old children were taken to Opuwo District Hospital on 9 June 2025.
Both showed signs of acute, watery diarrhoea and severe dehydration. One of the children died shortly after arrival.
The other child remains in the hospital’s isolation ward and is recovering.
Preliminary lab tests conducted on 11 and 12 June detected Vibrio cholerae, the bacteria that cause cholera, in samples taken from the children. However, the ministry said confirmatory results were still pending.
On 13 June, two more suspected cases from the same household were admitted to the hospital.
A five-year-old child and a 35-year-old adult. Both are in isolation and in a stable condition.
The ministry said none of the affected individuals had recently travelled or attended public events such as funerals or weddings.
“Engagement with the family revealed no travel history among family members and no confirmation of receiving visitors from outside the country,” said the ministry’s executive director, Penda Ithindi, in a media statement over the weekend.
According to international health standards, one locally acquired, lab-confirmed case of cholera is enough to declare an outbreak and trigger public health actions.
“At the time of preparing this notice, the MoHSS is still waiting for the confirmatory laboratory results; therefore, we are suspecting a cholera outbreak, but this is not confirmed yet,” Ithindi said.
Ithindi said health officials have already started response efforts in Opuwo.
These include early case detection, public education, and encouraging people to seek medical help if they experience symptoms.
He reminded the public that cholera is preventable and treatable, but can be deadly if not managed quickly. “If left untreated, cholera can be fatal, with a fatality rate estimated at 25–50%.
However, with prompt and appropriate treatment, this can be reduced to less than 1%,” the release said.
Namibia is one of several African countries currently facing cholera concerns. As of 15 May 2025, over 116,000 cases and more than 2,400 deaths have been reported worldwide.
Most were in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Sudan.
The ministry has urged anyone with symptoms such as watery diarrhoea and vomiting to seek immediate medical care.
