Cholera claims 59 lives in Tanzania

At least 59 people have died of cholera in the past two months in Tanzania, mostly in the north-eastern coastal region of Tanga, a senior Health Ministry official said on Friday.

“There are reports of new infections. We had 60 new cases last week in Tanga alone,” said Blandina Nyoni, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health.

She said 3 454 cases of cholera have been recorded in the Tanga region in the past two months, with Handeni district hardest hit by the water-borne disease.

Nyoni told Agence France-Presse additional health personnel and medical supplies were sent to the affected areas earlier this month.

She said the government has also stepped up public health education, advising people to boil drinking water and to build and use latrines.

Schools in Handeni have been closed until December, as part of the campaign.

The disease is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae and is spread by consuming contaminated food or water.—AFP