Zambia contains typhoid outbreak

Authorities in Zambia have managed to contain an outbreak of typhoid in Lusaka, the country’s capital, the Zambia Daily Mail reported on Monday.
Typhoid broke out early this month in Kanyama, one of the sprawling slums in the Zambian capital, with 291 suspected cases recorded while reports said a 11-year-old girl died from the disease. About 30 schools were closed in the area due to unsanitary conditions.
Deputy Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya said the outbreak of the water-borne disease has been brought into check as no new cases have been reported.
The Zambian minister said there has been no escalation of cases of typhoid from the initial cases that were recorded.
“The ministry is happy to state that typhoid in Kanyama has been completely eradicated. People should no longer live in fear of contracting the disease. And as a ministry, we will not surrender in the quest to ensure that the disease is permanently wiped out,” he was quoted as saying by the paper.
According to him, all the 291 people who were screened on suspicion that they had typhoid have been cleared and that no death has been recorded after the death of one child when the disease broke out.
The ministry has since intensified typhoid preventive measures through massive sensitization campaigns to enlighten the public in the affected area to consume clean and safe water, he added. Enditem