515 cholera cases recorded in Zambian capital

Cholera cases have risen to 515 in Lusaka, the Zambian capital, its health ministry said on Wednesday.

Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary in Charge of Administration Kennedy Malama told reporters during a weekly briefing that 14 new cases have been recorded in the last 24 hours, bringing the cumulative figure since the water-borne disease was declared on October 6 to 515.

He, however, said only 57 patients were being attended to at various health centers as most of the patients have been discharged after undergoing treatment.

Meanwhile, the ministry has managed to contain an anthrax outbreak in the western part of the country in which 39 human cases were recorded.

He said human beings contacted anthrax, which mostly affects animals, after consuming infected animals but indicated that the situation has been contained as no new cases have been recorded in the recent past.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)