Cholera Outbreak Hits Zanzibar

A cholera outbreak has hit the East African island of Zanzibar over the past few weeks, and according to officials, there have been numerous fatalities.

According to Muhammed Dahoma – who is the director of disease control at Zanzibar’s health ministry – there have been over 3000 hospitalized with cholera.

The outbreak started in middle March and has been ongoing for more than 4 weeks now.

He also confirmed that thus far, it is believed that close to 45 people have died from the disease since March of this year.

In an effort to thwart the growing outbreak, the Zanzibar government has taken certain steps to ensure that the outbreak doesn’t continue spreading; including banning all sales of juice and food in open areas.

The government are also keeping some cholera patients isolated on the islands of Unguja and Pemba.

It is believed that the cause of the cholera outbreak is due to the heavy rains the island has been getting as of late.

This leads to problems with sewerage systems, including blocked drains, which then causes the cholera outbreak.

Zanzibar’s peak tourism season starts in June, and a cholera outbreak of this magnitude could seriously damage the tourism industry for this season.