Suspected cholera outbreak in north Zambia after 17 admitted to hospital

LUSAKA, May 14– Suspected cholera cases have been reported in northern Zambia’s Mpulungu district with 17 people admitted to a local hospital.
Dennis Sikazwe, District Commissioner, said the people were admitted after showing signs of cholera but added that tests were still being awaited to confirm if it was the waterborne disease, according to state-run news agency, the Zambian News and Information Service (ZANIS).

The official said health officials in the district have embarked on measures to sensitize the residents on the need to maintain high levels of hygiene in order to contain further spread of the disease.
Health authorities have also recommended that schools be closed for a period of one week to ensure that the situation was contained, he added.

Meanwhile, five people have been admitted with suspected cholera in another district in the same province.
Sources told ZANIS that five people have been admitted for suspected cholera in Mbala district.
Cholera is common in Zambia especially in peri-urban areas and in communities living near water bodies.
In 2018, a major cholera outbreak especially in Lusaka, the country’s capital, left 114 dead and more than 5,000 others sick. – XINHUA