By STEVEN ZANDE –

.ZANACO

ZANACO has donated K1.5 million towards the purchase of 10,000 by 130 litres water tanks to help improve fresh water supply in cholera-prone areas, as part of continued efforts by stakeholders to help contain the cholera epidemic.
Managing director Henk Mulder, in a speech read by Zanaco head – retail banking – Simon Chuma yesterday said the bank made the donation with a view to helping address the major driver of cholera, that is consumption of contaminated water.
Mr Mulder said containing the disease was an expensive undertaking, hence the need for stronger stakeholder participation, and that Zambians should practise good hygiene to prevent further spread of cholera.
The United States (US) government has also provided cholera interventions, including chlorine drops that will sanitise more than 120 million litres of water to make it safe to drink, responding to Government’s call for help to contain cholera.
This is contained in a statement issued by American Embassy public relations officer Janet Deutsch.
“The US is providing a wide range of assistance to Zambia through USAID and the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),” USAID Zambia health office director Melanie Martins said.
“This includes geographic information system (GIS) hot-spot mapping of cholera cases and contaminated water locations, chlorine kits, transportation support, and technical assistance to improve public health surveillance.”
Six US CDC cholera control experts are in Zambia working with the Ministry of Health and Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP) on cholera prevention and control activities.
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCA) has also made available US$3 million in a partnership with the Ministry of Local Government to help establish a solid waste management utility to improve garbage collection and disposal in Lusaka.
A Zambian company, Delta Energy in partnership with Neria Zambia donated equipment worth K2 million to the Ministry of Health on Tuesday and this had helped in attending to cholera patients at the Heroes Stadium cholera centre.
Lusaka District health director Naamani Moonze said the equipment, which had been assembled and was being used, was helping in improving diagnosis and monitoring of patients, thereby reducing cholera-induced deaths.