Observational study on the characteristics of COVID-19 transmission dynamics during the first wave of the epidemic in Lusaka, Zambia.

Introduction: coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission dynamics in the communities of low- and middle-income countries, particularly sub-Saharan African countries, are still not fully understood. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of COVID-19 secondary transmission during the first wave of the epidemic (March-October 2020) in Lusaka, Zambia.

Methods: we conducted an observational study on COVID-19 secondary transmission among residents in Lusaka City, between March 18 and October 30, 2020.

Effectiveness of two doses of Euvichol-plus oral cholera vaccine in response to the 2017/2018 outbreak: a matched case-control study in Lusaka, Zambia.

Introduction: Zambia experienced a major cholera outbreak in 2017-2018, with more than 5905 cases reported countrywide, predominantly from the peri-urban slums of Lusaka city. The WHO recommends the use of oral cholera vaccines (OCVs) together with traditional control measures, including health promotion, provision of safe water and improving sanitation, in cholera endemic areas and during cholera outbreaks. In response to this outbreak, the Zambian government implemented the OVC campaign and administered the Euvichol-plus vaccine in the high-risk subdistricts of Lusaka.

First 100 Persons with COVID-19 - Zambia, March 18-April 28, 2020.

Zambia is a landlocked, lower-middle income country in southern Africa, with a population of 17 million (1). The first known cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Zambia occurred in a married couple who had traveled to France and were subject to port-of-entry surveillance and subsequent remote monitoring of travelers with a history of international travel for 14 days after arrival. They were identified as having suspected cases on March 18, 2020, and tested for COVID-19 after developing respiratory symptoms during the 14-day monitoring period.

Risk and Protective Factors for Cholera Deaths during an Urban Outbreak-Lusaka, Zambia, 2017-2018.

The Republic of Zambia declared a cholera outbreak in Lusaka, the capital, on October 6, 2017. By mid-December, 20 of 661 reported cases had died (case fatality rate 3%), prompting the CDC and the Zambian Ministry of Health through the Zambia National Public Health Institute to investigate risk factors for cholera mortality. We conducted a study of cases (cholera deaths from October 2017 to January 2018) matched by age-group and onset date to controls (persons admitted to a cholera treatment center [CTC] and discharged alive).

Outcomes of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Zambia: a cohort analysis.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish a baseline for measuring the impact of the programmatic management of drug-resistant TB program by following up on outcomes of all patients diagnosed with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Zambia between 2012 and 2014.

Methods: A cohort study of all the MDR-TB patients diagnosed at the national TB reference laboratory from across Zambia. MDR-TB was diagnosed by culture and DST, whereas outcome data were collected in 2015 by patient record checks and home visits.

Health research priority setting in Zambia: a stock taking of approaches conducted from 1998 to 2015.

Background: Priority setting in health research is an emerging field. In Zambia, like many other African countries, various priority setting activities have been undertaken with a view to identify research activities to which the available resources can be targeted while at the same time maximising the health impact for resource allocation to support evidence-based decision-making. The aim of this paper is to document the key elements of the various priority setting activities that have been conducted since 1998, identifying the key lessons and providing recommendations to improve the process.

The prevalence and socio-economic determinants of HIV among teenagers aged 15-18 years who were participating in a mobile testing population based survey in 2013-2014 in Zambia.

Background: The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of HIV among teenagers in Zambia and determine whether age, sex, setting, educational level, marital and socioeconomic status were associated with being HIV positive.

Methods: A cross sectional population based survey of the prevalence of HIV among teenagers aged 15-18 years old who were also participants in a national Tuberculosis (TB) prevalence survey. Consenting teenagers were counselled and tested for HIV.

The adult prevalence of HIV in Zambia: results from a population based mobile testing survey conducted in 2013-2014.

Objective: To estimate the adult prevalence of HIV among the adult population in Zambia and determine whether demographic characteristics were associated with being HIV positive.

Methods: A cross sectional population based survey to asses HIV status among participants aged 15 years and above in a national tuberculosis prevalence survey. Counselling was offered to participants who tested for HIV.

The Prevalence of Tuberculosis in Zambia: Results from the First National TB Prevalence Survey, 2013-2014.

Background: Tuberculosis in Zambia is a major public health problem, however the country does not have reliable baseline data on the TB prevalence for impact measurement; therefore it was among the priority countries identified by the World Health Organization to conduct a national TB prevalence survey.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of tuberculosis among the adult Zambian population aged 15 years and above, in 2013-2014.

Methods: A cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted in 66 clusters across all the 10 provinces of Zambia.