WINDHOEK, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Namibia has recorded one case of cholera in the capital Windhoek, the health ministry confirmed Wednesday.
According to information obtained by Xinhua, a 10-year-old schoolboy was admitted to a private hospital on Jan. 25 after falling ill.
The private doctor alerted the disease surveillance officer about the boy who was passing watery ricey stools, vomiting and was dehydrated.
A report seen by Xinhua said the boy left for school on Jan. 25 in good health but started vomiting later after sharing a sausage with three other children.
The other three children also fell ill but did not exhibit any cholera symptoms. Their illness was said to be food poisoning.
According to the report, the boy spent the December holidays in the north of the country close to Angola and returned to Windhoek early Jan.
The health ministry said on Jan. 8 that they were prepared for any cholera outbreak.
The acting permanent secretary in the ministry, David Uirab, said this when asked about the government's preparedness in the event that cholera spreads from Zambia.
"We are very prepared for any possible outbreak in Namibia as we have sent our staff into different regions to educate and inform citizens about the disease, even though the epicenter of the outbreak is not close to the borders," Uirab said.
Currently, the health ministry is struggling to contain the outbreak of hepatitis E that has killed two and left more than 400 affected.
Health minister Bernard Haufiku told the media in Nov. 2017 that hepatitis E had originated from the informal settlements that surround the capital.
