By CHILA NAMAIKO and JAJAH COULIBALY –
HEALTH Minister Joseph Kasonde yesterday told Parliament that cholera cases have so far reached 108 and one person has since dead.
Dr Kasonde said in a ministerial statement that Lusaka Province was leading with cholera cases, currently standing at 88, while Chibombo district in Central Province had eight.
Twelve cases were recorded in Chongwe.
He said the hardest-hit township in Lusaka was Kanyama, but that Government was putting up more surveillance measures to contain the outbreak.
Dr Kasonde said there was one suspected case of cholera in Nyimba in Eastern Province which turned out to be untrue.
“Government has mobilised personnel, drugs and equipment to contain any outbreak of the disease,” he said.
The minister, however, said there was no further outbreak of the disease owing to the stringent measures that Government was putting in place.
And a combined team of Lusaka City Council (LCC)  and Zambia Police yesterday stormed the central business district to enforce the ban on the sale of fresh food in the capital city.
The targeted places were  Lumumba, Millennium and Kulima Tower bus stations where LCC public relations manager Habeenzu Mulunda said cholera had been detected.
He said 23 people so far had been arrested since Friday when the operation began.
Mr Mulunda said the operation was a directive from the Government, through the ministry of Health, and that everyone should either comply or face prosecution.
“So far, we are trying to educate people on the dangers of cholera, but others deliberately don’t want to listen and follow what we want.
“This is why we have incorporated our colleagues, the State police,” he said.