Botswana Records Eight Child Deaths as Diarrhoea Cases Surge, Ministry Deploys Emergency Response Teams

GABORONE — Botswana has recorded eight deaths among children under five following a sharp rise in diarrhoea cases, prompting the government to deploy emergency response teams to districts reporting the highest number of cases.

The Botswana Public Health Institution recorded 454 cases of diarrhoea with dehydration among children under five between 6 and 12 September 2026, according to its Week 37 report.

The eight deaths were reported in Gaborone, Mahalapye, Boteti, Letlhakeng, Francistown and Palapye, indicating that the increase is affecting communities across both urban and rural areas.

The Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs said it was particularly concerned by the number of deaths involving young children.

“The Ministry is particularly concerned that many of the diarrhoea-related deaths involved children under the age of 5,” the Ministry said in a statement signed by Chief Public Relations Officer Chandapiwa A. Baputaki.

It urged parents and caregivers to seek medical attention as soon as children begin passing loose stools three or more times within 24 hours.

Emergency teams deployed

In response to the surge, the Ministry has joined forces with the Ministry of Health and the Botswana Public Health Institution to strengthen the outbreak response.

Six multidisciplinary teams have been deployed to affected districts between 21 and 25 September.

The teams are expected to support local health authorities, strengthen the response to the outbreak and provide clinical mentorship to frontline healthcare workers on the management of diarrhoea cases.

The intervention comes as Botswana enters a period in which diarrhoeal disease has previously caused significant outbreaks among young children.

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One of the country’s most serious recent outbreaks occurred between September and October 2018, when a rotavirus strain that was not previously common in Botswana was associated with 5,606 cases of diarrhoea with dehydration and 37 deaths among children under five over seven weeks, according to the World Health Organization’s African regional office.

The outbreak reached epidemic levels in 18 of Botswana’s 27 districts at its peak.

Botswana had introduced rotavirus vaccination into its national immunisation programme in 2012, highlighting the continuing importance of surveillance and broader measures to prevent severe diarrhoeal disease.

A smaller cluster of deaths was reported in Kgatleng district in 2020, when five children under 12 months died over several weeks.

Research into Botswana’s large 2006 diarrhoeal outbreak also identified links between severe disease and factors including infant feeding practices and the broader public health environment at the time.

Hygiene and early treatment urged

Diarrhoeal disease remains a major cause of illness and death among children under five globally. The World Health Organization has identified unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene as major preventable contributors to diarrhoeal disease.

Botswana’s Ministry is therefore urging communities to strengthen basic hygiene and sanitation measures while seeking early treatment for children who develop symptoms.

Residents have been advised to:

• Wash their hands thoroughly with soap and clean water before preparing or eating food and after using the toilet.
• Drink only safe, treated or boiled water.
• Prepare and store food hygienically.
• Keep homes and surrounding areas clean.
• Give children with diarrhoea oral rehydration solution and zinc sulphate while seeking medical attention.

Oral rehydration solution and zinc are widely used to prevent and treat dehydration and reduce the severity and duration of diarrhoeal illness in children.

The Ministry said disease surveillance was continuing across all districts and that health authorities remained on high alert to monitor the situation and respond to emerging cases.

“Together, through good hygiene practices, early healthcare-seeking behaviour and community cooperation, we can reduce illness and save lives,” the Ministry said.

Members of the public seeking further information can contact the Ministry’s Communications Office on 3658467 or 3658423.