Dar es Salaam, Sep 20 : At least three people died and 84 others were taken ill following a cholera outbreak along the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania's Katavi region, a local health official reported on Friday.

Katavi Regional Medical Officer Ramadhani Karume told Xinhua that since the outbreak was first reported in the region two weeks ago, 19 of the 84 cholera patients have been admitted to isolated health centres, while the others were treated and discharged.

He noted that the hardest-hit areas were Kalema and Ikola wards, where many residents were drinking untreated water from Lake Tanganyika, Xinhua news agency reported.

Katavi Regional Commissioner Mwanamvua Mrindoko has instructed all district commissioners to enforce strict hygiene measures in their areas to prevent the further spread of the disease, which thrives in unsanitary conditions.

Details are awaited.

/IANS