MINISTRY of Health spokesperson Dr Abel Kabalo says the Ministry has heightened surveillance to establish the cause of some diarrhea cases recently recorded in Lusaka district.

In a statement, Wednesday, Dr Kabalo said a circular had been issued to all health facilities in the district to submit stool samples to the University Teaching Hospital Microbiology Laboratory in order to find out what was causing that.

He said the ministry had so far not recorded any confirmed cases of either Cholera, typhoid, or dysentery from the stool samples collected and tested.

“The Ministry of Health has heightened surveillance to establish the cause of some diarrhoea cases recently recorded in Lusaka district. It is also for this reason a circular has been issued to all health facilities in the district to submit stool samples to the University Teaching Hospital Microbiology Laboratory for culture and sensitivity. A culture is a test to find germs (such as bacteria or a fungus) that has caused an infection. A sensitivity test checks to see what kind of medicine, such as an antibiotic, that will work best to kill the identified germs,” said Dr Kabalo.

“So far, we have not recorded any confirmed cases of either Cholera, typhoid, or dysentery from all the stool samples collected and tested. We therefore, urge the public to be highly alert and report any diarrhoeal cases to the nearest health facility so that stool samples are taken for testing. The public is also urged to practice high levels of hygiene as we approach the rainy season to avoid any possible contraction of water borne diseases.”