Anthrax outbreak in Zambia kills 4 people, infects 335 others
“We have implemented a range of public health measures following a ‘one health approach’ to contain and prevent the spread of anthrax,”
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Anthrax has broken out in various parts of Zambia, with 335 people infected so far and four deaths, health authorities said on Wednesday.
Zambian Minister of Health Sylvia Masebo said the disease, contracted through eating anthrax-contaminated meat, has been reported in six of the country’s 10 provinces.
Most of the patients were having skin sores or ulcers, nausea, vomiting, and fever, she said, noting that most of the patients were being treated at home and that only six were admitted to hospitals in Maamba, Choma and Livingstone districts in the southern part of the country.
“We have implemented a range of public health measures following a ‘one health approach’ to contain and prevent the spread of anthrax,” she told reporters during a press briefing.
She further said the Ministry of Health is working closely with the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock to ensure that the spread of the disease among humans and animals is contained.
The minister has since appealed to people to avoid buying meat and buy only from authorized butcheries.
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