Zambian president discharged from hospital after illness

Newly elected Zambian president Edgar Lungu has been discharged from the hospital where he had been receiving treatment since he fell ill at the weekend, the presidency said on Tuesday.

Lungu, 58, had to leave an International Women's Day event in the capital, Lusaka, on Sunday when he felt uncomfortable.

"The seven doctors attending to the President reached a consensus that they were satisfied that the President was in good enough condition to return home," the presidency said in a statement late on Monday.

"The President has been treated for the low blood sugar level that emanated from the suspected recurrence of the narrowing of the food pipe," it said.

Doctors had advised Lungu to undergo specialist treatment abroad to correct the condition.

The presidency said it was evaluating the advice and would decide later on Tuesday when the president should undergo the recommended treatment. Doctors said the treatment Lungu required was not available in Zambia.

Lungu assumed the helm of Africa's second-largest copper producer in January after winning a narrow victory in an election to replace former leader Michael Sata, who died in October aged 77 while undergoing treatment in London.