Zambia resolves to sponsor resolution on cholera elimination at global health meeting

LUSAKA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government has resolved to sponsor a resolution on elimination of cholera at the forthcoming World Health Assembly to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, a senior government official said on Monday.

The 71st World Health Assembly from May 21 to May 26 will be attended by delegates from all 194 World Health Organization (WHO) member states.

The resolution has been created to draw global attention to the elimination of cholera and stop people from dying from the water-borne disease, according to Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya.

The Zambian minister, in remarks delivered at an African Center for Disease Control (CDC) board meeting in Ethiopia, said it was unacceptable that a preventable and treatable disease such as cholera had continued to claim millions of lives worldwide, according to a statement released by his office.

Zambia has been battling a cholera outbreak since October last year, with over 4,000 cases recorded and over 80 deaths.

But the Zambian minister said the country was on the verge of containing the current cholera outbreak.

Meanwhile, the Zambian minister urged African Union (AU) member states to invest in national public health institutes in order to increase disease surveillance and intelligence. Enditem