By CHUSA SICHONE  and JAMES KUNDA –
HEALTH Minister Chitalu Chilufya has said 88 people have so far died of cholera countrywide since the epidemic broke out in October last year.
Dr Chilufya said the 88 deaths were out of 4,353 cases, with Lusaka accounting for the most deaths at 75 out the cumulative 4, 028 cases and that most of the deaths were recorded at community level.
Dr Chilufya said at a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday that 4,275 people were treated of cholera and discharged.
“The situation of cholera in the country in the last few days again we have continued to record a downward trend. As at yesterday (Sunday), we recorded only 10 new cases in Lusaka, which is the lowest we have ever seen and today (yesterday) we recorded 15,” the minister said.
Dr Chilufya said cases had continued dropping in the cholera epicentres of Kuku, Kanyama, Chipata and Chawama while a few other cases were recorded in Shibuyunji District.
Dr Chilufya attributed the downward trend in cholera cases to President Edgar Lungu’s strong and bold leadership by commissioning a multisectoral approach and civil-military intervention to enhance solid waste management, besides participation from cooperating partners.
Dr Chilufya said also that the continued inspection of schools and universities had revealed that compliance had improved and that the Ministry of Higher Education needed to engage universities to come up with dates of opening the institutions as long as they were able to continue implementing the set interventions while the academic programmes commenced.
Meanwhile, a total of 1,278,772 people from Chawama and Kanyama Townships in Lusaka Province have accessed the oral cholera vaccine in rounds one and two of the vaccination exercise conducted this year.