EPIDEMIC INTELLIGENCE FROM OPEN SOURCES (EIOS) Period: January to May 2025

Compiled by : Daliso Ngulube

Date: 2025-05-08

Summary

This report gives a summary of the signals and events captured and monitored through the epidemic intelligence from open source (EIOS) from January to May 2025.

Distribution of signals and events, January to April 2025

Human-Related Events

• Sinazongwe: Two mysterious deaths involving women were reported.

• Kitwe: One person died due to an acid spill during tanker offloading.

• Kalulushi: A mass food poisoning incident at a funeral in Magam on 7th February affected 119 people with abdominal pain and vomiting.

• Mkushi: A suspected cholera case potentially linked to Chililabombwe was reported.

• Lusaka: A drowning incident occurred; additionally, Lusaka recorded its first Mpox death involving an eight-month-old infant.

• Ngabwe: Three people were hospitalized after consuming contaminated fish and water from the Kafue River, linked to an acid spillage.

• Kabwe: A cholera outbreak has been confirmed.

• Nchelenge: There is a reported risk of an influx of refugees from Congo.

Environment-Related Events

• Chingola: Acid pollution affected the Chabanyama stream.

• Kalulushi: Pollution was reported in the Kafue River.

• Nakonde: Four people were killed by lightning.

• Kawambwa: Ten workers drowned while crossing Chisaka Stream in a boat en route to work.

• Sioma & Limulunga: Red Locust infestations were reported in maize fields.

• Zambezi: Severe flooding of the Zambezi River displaced over 38,000 residents and disrupted essential services.

Animal-Related Event

• Mumbwa: Several animal deaths occurred due to suspected chemical poisoning.

• Between epidemiological weeks 2 and 7, early detection of signals and events was consistently achieved through the Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) system. However, delays in detection were noted in week 9, with only 16.7% of events identified early, and in week 11 and 13, where all events (100%) were detected late. Weekly monitoring continues, and as of week 17, early detection was observed, with 100% of events being identified promptly.

• During the period under review, the majority of events and signals 9(52.9%) were classified as human, while 7(41.2%) were linked to environment, and the remaining events were animal-related.

• Between January and May 2025, a total of seven public health events or signals were detected in Zambia. The majority (35.7%) were classified as “Others,” followed by chemical-related events (28.6%), infectious diseases (21.4%), and food poisoning (14.3%).