ARUSHA, Tanzania, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago has banned street food vendors following a fresh outbreak of cholera.
Acting Minister of Health and Social Welfare in Zanzibar Riziki Pemba Juma blamed poor sanitation on floods caused by heavy rains hitting the archipelago for the last month.
She said apart from banning street food vendors, the Zanzibar government has also restricted people from inviting and sharing the iftar -- the evening meal when Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset.
During the holy month, it is common for people to invite and share food with those less fortunate.
Riziki said that the ban came after the discovery of 23 new cases of cholera in Muslim-majority Zanzibar.
The new cholera outbreak has compelled the Zanzibar government to establish special camps to deal with cholera victims, the minister said.
"We are encouraging people in their localities to observe hygiene and take precautions on the disease as well as ensuring that once they diagnose someone with symptoms of cholera to take him/her to the nearby health facility for treatment," she said, adding that the government has all the medication needed to cope with a possible epidemic.
Mohammed Dahoma, director of hospital services in Zanzibar, said among the 23 patients, there is a three-month-old infant.
In 2016, at least 68 people died out of 4,330 who were infected with the disease.
