By KASONDE KASONDE and FRANCINA PHIRI –

President Lungu

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has assured that the Government will succeed in containing the current cholera outbreak and suggested the idea of a dedicated national day of cleaning to inculcate a sense of hygiene among citizenry.

Mr Lungu said in Lusaka yesterday Government was getting a grip on the cholera situation as a result of the effective range of measures deployed in recent weeks.
He said longer-term measures such as regulated street vending, to be effected when the current ban is lifted, and provision of all the necessary sanitary facilities in public places would ensure waterborne diseases were kept at bay.
Mr Lungu said analysis had revealed that most cholera cases were the result of people consuming contaminated water and that the Government would come up with long-term measures to provide clean water.
“The measures that have been put in place clearly show that we will manage to control the disease, but in the long run we will have to take lasting measures such as provision of clean and safe drinking water, which is a challenge for many African countries,” Mr Lungu said.
The President was speaking yesterday when visited the cholera treatment centre at Heroes Stadium in Lusaka where 93 people are receiving treatment.
Mr Lungu said the Government would provide basic needs for the people because it was clear that cholera was as a result of people drinking unsafe water and poor management of waste.
The President said there was a relationship between faecal matter disposal and the water the people were drinking as they were mixing at some point.
Mr Lungu assured vendors that trading spaces would be opening up slowly and systematically in various places but would be regulated to ensure that they conformed to the health requirements and hygiene.
He said there was need to dedicate a day for cleaning the surroundings by all citizens in the spirit of promoting proper hygiene that would help fight all water-borne diseases.
Mr Lungu said trading places were now required to have proper toilets, proper garbage disposal and clean water, and that the Local Government Ministry would ensure that all trading places met all the requirements.
The President spent some time talking to the patients at the cholera centre.
Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya said 114 new cases were recorded yesterday, bringing the total number since the outbreak to 2,672.
Dr Chilufya said provision of free safe and clean water, burial of shallow wells, cleaning up of the city, ban of gatherings in infected areas and control of gatherings in other areas had been heightened.
He said the ban on gatherings, irrespective of the reasons, had been effected in all infected areas while other areas should get clearance from the Zambia National Public Health Institute at the Ministry of Health.
Dr Chilufya said all premises that hosted public gatherings must ensure running safe and clean water as well as adequate sanitary facilities were there.
He earlier received a donation of medical equipment and supplies from Delta Energy Zambia Limited and Nerias Investments Limited worth K2 million to help eradicate cholera.
Nerias Investments Limited general manager Martin Chaikatisha said the donation was part of the two sister companies’ corporate social responsibility and was meant to enhance and support the continuation of medical services to the people.
Meanwhile, the Government has closed down the National Registration, Passport and Citizenship offices in Lusaka until further notice to avoid the spread of cholera.
Minister of Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo said there was no need for people to panic as this was just a temporary measure to stop the spread of cholera in the country.
Mr Kampyongo said during a Press briefing in Lusaka that officers would only be allowed to attend to travel emergencies.
The minister said these departments attracted many people, hence there was need to protect the lives of clients and officers from cross-contamination and contraction of the disease.