LUSAKA, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Health authorities in Zambia on Wednesday said they have managed to contain a fresh outbreak of cholera in Lusaka, the country's capital.
Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya said the capital recorded seven fresh cholera outbreaks in January and February this year but added that quick response from health officials averted the waterborne disease from escalating.
He told reporters during a press briefing that the capital has not recorded any new cases in the last 19 days, an indication that the outbreak was over.
He said no deaths were recorded during the current fresh outbreak.
He thanked health officials as well as other partners, for responding quickly and for putting in place measures to contain the new outbreak.
The Zambian minister however said despite the new outbreak being contained, risks of an outbreak still exist and called for concerted efforts to tackle factors that may fuel the outbreak such as indiscriminate disposal of waste, drinking contaminated water and eating contaminated foods.
Zambia experienced a cholera outbreak from August 2017 to June 2018 which killed 114 people and made more than 5,000 others sick.
