SBC Works! Integration of SBC into the Cholera Preparedness and Elimination Plan in Zanzibar
Success stories from Eastern and Southern Africa
About
Since 1978, the United Republic of Tanzania’s archipelago of Zanzibar has experienced 19 major cholera outbreaks with a considerable negative impact on health, economy and social development, making the disease significant public health and economic concern.
Social and behaviour change (SBC) plays an essential role in the successful prevention, preparedness, and response of cholera. However, SBC interventions to raise awareness and engage communities are usually limited to outbreak periods and not sustained. The behavioural and socio-cultural factors contributing to the risk of cholera are not well analysed nor disaggregated, so high-risk groups are not systematically engaged through tailored approaches.
Aligning with the Ending Cholera A Global Roadmap to 2030, the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar committed to eliminating cholera by 2027 under the Zanzibar Comprehensive Cholera Elimination Plan (ZACCEP). The three-pronged plan proposes sustained multi-sectoral collaboration through mass cholera vaccination, strengthened Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), and social and behaviour change interventions. Under the ZACCEP, in partnership with UNICEF, the Government developed a cholera elimination SBC strategy.
December 2022
