Suspected cholera has broken out in Lusaka’s Matero and George townships and 12 people are admitted to two clinics, Ministry of Health spokesperson Canisius Banda said Sunday, according to Times of Zambia online, Monday.
He said health personnel had taken samples of stool to laboratories for tests to prove whether it was cholera that had broken out.
The outbreak is attributed to poor sanitation in the area. The poor drainage system, shortage of water and poor disposal of garbage has led to the people contracting the diarrhoeal disease.
In a move to stop the disease, a ‘Keep Matero Clean’ campaign was launched last week and another programme in which free chlorine will be distributed to the residents starts soon.
Meanwhile, the Zambia Red Cross Society (ZRCS) has donated 6,000 bottles of chlorine, 1,000 sachets of oral rehydration solution, 1,000 bars of Lifebuoy soap, 2,000 surgical gloves, 60 kidney dishes and 37 walking sticks as there is need to prevent the disease from spreading to other townships.
Lusaka has experienced various outbreaks of cholera since 1989, with the most serious being in 1999 when 6,748 people were affected and 89 died.
