Dar Es Salaam, Mar 23 (IANS): Tanzanian authorities have said they have recorded 60 cases of cholera in the country's four regions between February 19 and March 15.

George Simbachawene, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office responsible for Policy, Parliament and Coordination, while launching a programme for the prevention of cholera in the capital Dodoma, said on Wednesday that the 60 cholera cases were recorded in Ruvuma region with one patient, seven patients in Kigoma region, Rukwa region with 18 patients and Katavi region with 34 patients.

He added that no deaths from the disease were reported during the period under review, warning that Tanzania should remain on high alert after the disease killed scores of people in neighbouring Malawi, Xinhua news agency reported.

Simbachawene said reports also indicated that there was an outbreak of cholera in Mozambique, Zambia and Congo.

According to statistics by the Health Ministry, the largest country-wide cholera outbreak in Tanzania occurred in 1997, resulting in a total of 40,249 cases and 2,231 deaths.