Schools reopened Monday in Zambia for the first term of 2024 after a cholera outbreak induced a delay since October.
The southern African nation had recorded 18,519 cases with 652 deaths and 17,679 recoveries.
The Zambia National Public Health Institute said numbers showed a decline in cases as well as deaths at the community and household levels.
Education Minister Douglas Syakalima told reporters that the reopening had been certified by an inspection conducted on schools which indicated that learning was safe with preventive measures in place.
Health Minister Sylvia Masebo added that the government will scale up inspection in schools and send teams to educate pupils on cholera prevention.
Schools were scheduled to open Jan. 8 but the reopening was postponed to Jan. 29 and then to Feb. 12 due to a surge in case numbers.