Schools closed in Zanzibar over cholera outbreak

Authorities in Tanzania's semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago have ordered the closure of schools following a cholera outbreak that has resulted in 20 deaths.

Zanzibar Minister of Education and Vocational Training Riziki Pembe Juma said Tuesday in a statement that all schools in the Island will be closed until further notice.

She said the decision has been reached following reports that pupils and students have been among the mostly affected and that some have even died from the disease.

"As government, we have tried to get the situation under control, but for the well-being of our children it is safer if they stay at home," the minister said.

She noted that the government reached the decision after discovering that some schools have been worst hit due to floods as a result of the ongoing heavy rains.

Unguja is the hardest-hit district in the Island, with 20 deaths and 400 patients since January this year.

Food vendors have also banned from conduct business in Zanzibar as a result of cholera.

The minister advised residents to use toilets properly, as well as boil drinking water to prevent cholera, an acute illness characterized by watery diarrhea.

Cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, and is spread by eating food or drinking water contaminated with the bacteria.

In 2015, about 256 cholera cases were reported in Zanzibar. Endit