.Chilufya

By HELLEN TEMBO –
THE Government has shut down three Hungry Lion outlets and one Pick n Pay store in a bid to clamp down on cholera.
The Hungry Lion outlets are those located at Kulima Tower Bus Station, Levy Mall and Cairo Road.
Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya said they have also closed some food outlets in Chipata and Chaisa townships.
Dr Chilufya said at a Press briefing yesterday that the analysis of food samples, food preparation surfaces and hand swabs from food handlers in the Hungry Lion outlets and the other stores in Chipata and Chaisa townships indicated the presence of vibrio cholera and faecal contamination.
The Pick n Pay store in the town centre was closed because they did not indicate that one of their employees had exhibited symptoms of cholera.
The minister said it was an offence not to report if a worker had symptoms of cholera and all the shut outlets would remain closed until the inspectors were done with the investigations.
Dr Chilufya also said trucks coming from outside Lusaka carrying fruits and vegetables would not be allowed into Lusaka.
He said buildings erected on installations such as sewer and water pipes, especially in Matero East, should be demolished to pave way for the repair of the installations.
Dr Chilufya said currently, the outbreak had affected cumulatively 2,148 people country-wide and with  51 deaths recorded.
Minister of Local Government Vincent Mwale urged the food outlets in the country to do regular checks on their employees and ensure that the food which they were serving people was in good condition.
United Nations (UN) country representative Janet Rogan said the UN supported the actions taken by the Government in order to prevent cholera.
Ms Rogan said to support the fight against cholera, the UN had contributed two million doses of cholera vaccine and 42,000 litres of chlorine.
She said the UN had raised US$1.3 million to support the vaccination campaign.
MMI Integrated Steel Zambia and Avic International have both donated K100,000 each to the Government towards the fight against cholera.
Meanwhile, many churches have responded to the campaign to clamp down on cholera by suspending some of their activities.
The Catholic Church  in Lusaka has advised members not to shake hands during services and, in the affected areas, activities like parish meetings have been suspended.
The Lusaka Central Seventh Day Adventist Church has cancelled all services until further notice.