ArticleBMJ open2025
Descriptive study of cholera-related deaths in communities during Zambia's 2023-2024 outbreak: key insights.
Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
23 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesThe study sought to understand the characteristics of community deaths due to cholera in Zambia. We sought to examine the drivers of mortality from cholera among communities in Zambia's 2023-2024 outbreak. DESIGN/
settingThis is a descriptive study of the characteristics of community deaths due to cholera in three provinces in Zambia. Routine surveillance data collected between 14 October 2023 and 16 April 2024, comprising a national line list of cholera deaths, were used for this study.
participants178 participants were included in the study and completed it. All community deaths on the line list were eligible for inclusion. This comprised: deceased individuals whose death was associated with cholera or who met the national cholera case definition (suspected or confirmed); death occurring in the community, en route or on arrival to a health facility prior to admission; and death must have occurred between 14 October 2023 and 16 April 2024. Deceased individuals whose family members could not be traced or did not consent to participate in the interview were excluded. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was identifying characteristics of cholera-related community deaths. There were no secondary outcomes measured.
resultsAmong 178 community deaths due to cholera, the majority were males (61.8%), with the highest mortality in adults aged 35-49 years (22.5%). Over half of the deaths occurred on arrival at healthcare facilities due to delays influenced by socioeconomic barriers. Comorbidities such as HIV/AIDS and hypertension were present in 23% of cases.
conclusionsThe study found that males, death on arrival at healthcare facilities, delays in seeking healthcare and comorbidities such as HIV/AIDS and hypertension were more frequently observed among those who died due to cholera in the community. These findings highlight the need for enhanced early care-seeking behaviours, improved access to timely treatment and targeted interventions for individuals with comorbidities to potentially reduce cholera mortality.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.