LUSAKA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The number of cholera cases in Lusaka, the Zambian capital, has gone up, authorities said on Thursday.
The confirmed cases have risen to 26 with two deaths since the outbreak of the waterborne disease two weeks ago.
Minister of Health Sylvia Masebo said the cases have now spread to four other residential areas.
"The surge in cholera cases has put a significant strain on our healthcare system. Hospitals and clinics are working tirelessly to provide care to those affected, and we are doing our utmost to assure availability of all the required resources," she said in a statement delivered in parliament on the cholera situation.
The government has since heightened surveillance and contact tracing as well as public awareness and sanitation efforts in the affected areas, Masebo said.
She noted that the supply of clean and safely managed water as well as adequate sanitation facilities remains key in prevention of cholera if the country is to attain the long term goal of cholera elimination by 2025. ■
