The Chililabombwe District Epidemic Preparedness Committee has called on stakeholders in the area to reinforce the sensitization of communities on the coronavirus (COVID-19) preventive guidelines.
The committee, which is led by District Commissioner Roy Ngosa, observed that people had dropped their guard in adhering to the recommended practices posing a threat of another wave of the pandemic.
Most people have stopped adhering to the guidelines among them social distancing, wearing of face masks and hand washing or sanitizing following the recently experienced reduction in the number of COVID-19 positive cases being recorded across the country.
Chililabombwe, whose first positive corona virus case was recorded in April, has a cumulative number of 4869 tests conducted since with 405 confirmed cases and nine deaths, which were brought in dead (BID) cases. There is no active case currently.
Speaking during the committee’s meeting held at the Chililabombwe Municipal Council chamber, Mr Ngosa called on all stakeholders to join efforts to ensure access to quality services by the community.
The District Commissioner also reminded the stakeholders to ensure they subscribe to the “Keep Zambia Clean, Green and Healthy” agenda as it is a good intervention in providing healthy surroundings and preventing disease outbreaks.
“Epidemic control is key to maintaining a healthy population and being a border district, we are expected to maintain high levels of vigilance for diseases know no boundaries. It is not a responsibility of the Ministry of Health alone to put up measures to prevent the occurrence of avoidable diseases but calls for participation of all the stakeholders in the district,” he said.
Other health issues that received attention include the need for stakeholders to help in acquiring chlorine and lime to facilitate the disinfection of shallow wells and pit latrines in high density areas to avert the spread of diseases such as cholera and typhod.
The committee also leant that the district is currently at about 90 percent in terms of vaccinating dogs to prevent the spread of rabies courtesy of a partnership between the local authority’s Public Health Department, the Veterinary Department and Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) which has been providing the vaccines.
On waste management, it was resolved that the district engages a potential company that could set up a plant to recycle plastics and bottles as this could lead to minimal waste to be taken to dumping sites as well as increased revenue collection and employment creation.
The committee comprises officials from the District Administration, the Ministry of Health, the local authority, Mulonga Water and Sewerage Company, selected government departments, the private sector, Faith Based Organisations and some Civil Society Organisations.
No if you go and sensitize people to adhere to covid 19 regulations without a police permit then you may be arrested because they will tell you that is the,mandate of health ministry not you. Just like they told UPND officials in Siavonga that it is not their mandate to sensitize people on voter registration but that of ECZ.