Attachments
EARLY ACTION PROTOCOL ACTIVATION
Activation Overview
The Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) has activated its simplified Early Action Protocol for cholera following confirmed local transmission in Rushinga District. As of 10 February 2026, 15 cholera cases and three locally transmitted cases have been reported and are being managed at Marymount CTC. The outbreak represents a spillover from the ongoing cholera epidemic in Mozambique, driven by porous cross-border movement linked to informal gold panning. The hazard is already impacting communities, with an immediate risk of further spread to border areas and urban hotspots, including Harare.
Trigger monitoring was based on the Ministry of Health and Child Care surveillance data confirming local transmission. Trigger 1 was met and formally activated on 10 February 2026, enabling the initiation of early actions.Early actions will focus on Rushinga District (including border communities and affected wards) and identified cholera hotspot areas in Harare. Planned interventions include RC-CATI activities, hygiene promotion, and chlorination of high-risk water points. Actions will be implemented over an initial operational period of up to six months, in line with the sEAP timeframe.
Early actions will prioritize communities at the highest risk of cholera transmission in Rushinga District and selected hotspot suburbs in Harare. Targeting will focus on households in areas with confirmed local transmission, border communities with high cross-border mobility, and densely populated urban settlements with known WASH vulnerabilities.
The primary target groups include households surrounding confirmed cases, users of high-risk communal water points, and vulnerable populations such as children, older persons, and people with disabilities. RC-CATI teams will implement household-level and community-level interventions, including hygiene promotion, safe water practices, and rapid risk reduction measures.
Approximately 300 trained volunteers will support outreach activities, including reoriented volunteers in Harare and trained teams in Rushinga. Targeting will remain flexible and guided by ongoing surveillance data and rapid risk assessments in coordination with district health authorities. This approach ensures that early actions are concentrated in priority transmission zones to interrupt spread and protect at-risk populations.