Zambian president Edgar Lungu treated for malaria, told to rest

LUSAKA: Newly-elected Zambian President Edgar Lungu is being treated for malaria and doctors have advised him to rest, the presidency said on Sunday.

"I am feeling much better and I have been told I have high levels of fatigue and should take some rest. There is nothing to worry about," Lungu was quoted as saying in a statement.

Earlier on Sunday Lungu had to leave am International Women's Day event in the capital Lusaka when he felt uncomfortable, the statement said, adding testing on the president showed "traces of malaria."

Lungu, 58, assumed the helm of Africa's second-largest copper producer in January after winning a narrow victory. His campaign tapped into the grassroots support base of former leader Michael Sata, who died in office in October aged 77.

Zambia has made progress in controlling malaria but the mosquito-borne disease is still the biggest killer of Zambian children below the age of five, according to the U.N.'s child aid charity UNICEF.