THE number of cholera cases recorded in Lusaka and Chibombo districts has increased to 62, Minister of Health Joseph Kasonde has said.
And Deputy Minister of Local Government and Housing Nicholas Banda says Government has suspended the selling of foodstuffs on the streets in an effort to contain cholera.
Dr Kasonde said the cholera surveillance system has been on high alert to enable health personnel to detect and report suspected cases countrywide.
“I should report to you that our surveillance system has been and is still on high alert and this has enabled us to have early detection and reporting of suspected cholera cases in our country,” he said.
The minister said this at a media briefing on the status of some diseases such as yellow fever, malaria and cholera in the country.
He also said the ministry has intensified dissemination of health education messages across the affected areas as well as throughout the country.
Dr Kasonde advised members of the public to practise good hygiene to ensure that they do not contract cholera.
He also said Government has started to re-orient frontline health workers and providing free water and chlorine distribution for home water treatment.
And Deputy Minister of Local Government and Housing Nicholas Banda says Government has suspended the selling of foodstuffs on the streets in the affected areas in a bid to contain cholera.
“We have realised that suspending the selling of foodstuffs in the streets is one of the ways that we can curb the further spreading of cholera,” he said.
Mr Banda said that the suspension is temporary and will be enforced in areas where there is an outbreak of cholera.
He said where foodstuffs are being sold on the streets have a lot of potential to be breeding areas of cholera.
And Dr Kasonde also said that the country has not had any Zika virus case and appealed to people not to panic but ensure that preventive measures are adhered to.
He said Government is alive to the reality of the Zika virus and is broadening geographical surveillance in all parts of the country.
Dr Kasonde also said Government will continue to follow the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines to prevent spread of the Zika virus.
He also urged Zambians travelling to yellow fever endemic countries to be vaccinated to protect themselves from the disease.
whatever happened to the “be pro-active” saying.
always reacting to preventable issues.
what do we really plan when we sit in offices kanshi!!
cholera should have been a thing of the past had we really cared to lead in this field.
but alas!
You’re a very dirty government . You should have never allowed street vendors to take over town centres.
This is a chance to curb down on dirty street vendors …time to clean up!!
Wat a pathetic government… Have u seen the streets u run in the name of government… It’s a dumping site.. Lumumba Road…. Y dnt u take care of dat… Ati working government….. Running a country is not about boasting how many roads u have built and silly stupid politicking… These are the issues dat people decide to vote on… Instead of busy creating new roads y dnt u concentrate on maintaining the old ones.. Have u seen the state of lumumba Road… Cairo Road roundabout and Ben Bella Road..hugehuge craters developing… Damaging vehicles…
Wat is ratsa doing about the vendors on lumumba Road…. God forbid if one day a truck has to overturn it will claim a huge number of lives… Maybe the boma is waiting for dat to happen… Roads r meant to b used by vehicles not for vending.. All the side roads are occupied by the vendors N drunkards
All the gov’t is doing is detecting and reporting suspected cases countrywide.
But really, they need to get all those vendors off the streets and CLEAN UP! Gutters and sewage running out of gutters onto streets. Close down and disperse Shanty compounds. Your Excellency President Lungu, you need to listen and do more in cleaning up the streets and up the collection of rubbish in residential and marketing areas. There has been a lot of unforgivable laxity in these areas. Rubbish collection is not a luxury but a necessity for modern man in preventing disease.