A spokesman for Zambian President Edgar Lungu said the president is doing fine after collapsing Sunday during an appearance at a Women's Day celebration in the capital, Lusaka.
Amos Chanda said Lungu is being treated at a military hospital where doctors have diagnosed him as suffering from malaria and exhaustion.
Chanda said Lungu had collapsed once before, but denied he has a health problem.
“The president has been admitted to a military hospital, and doctors have diagnosed him to be very fatigued and he has traces of plasmodium, a malaria parasite. They are observing him and they have informed that he will be discharged tomorrow (Monday),” he said.
Chanda said the incident forced the president to cut short his appearance at an International Women’s Day event, designating instead his Minister of Gender Affairs to step in for him.
Lungu was elected president in a January special election to succeed the late Michael Sata, who died after a long illness at a London hospital last October.
Sata’s was Zambia’s second leader to die in office in six years. His predecessor, Levy Mwanawasa, suffered a stroke in June 2008 that led to his death later that year.
Chanda said Lungu has been busy since the election, and doctors have recommended he get some rest because of fatigue.
“He ran the campaign and, since then, he’s not rested. So, we think the pressure of work has affected him. Ever since he came to office, he’s being doing late hours. On Friday, he did the launch of a book by [Zambia’s first president] Dr. Kenneth Kaunda. It started from 7 PM and lasted up to 11:30 PM. On Saturday, he addressed the Central Committee of the ruling party. The meeting started at 9 AM and ended at 6:30 PM. Thereafter, he met with the provincial leadership of the ruling party,” Chanda said.
Chanda assured Zambians and the international community that there’s nothing to be concerned about. He said doctors conducted several tests and said the president was simply suffering from fatigue.
