Chililabombwe has continued recording new cholera cases

By Chinoyi Chipulu 

Health minister Dr Elijah Muchima says Chililabombwe district has continued recording new cholera infections which have been attributed to poor sanitation.

And Chililabombwe district commissioner Precious Njekwa said the government was trying to stop street vending by closing down a number of dirty restaurants in Kasumbalesa in a bid to contain the outbreak.

Speaking in an interview on Thursday, Muchima said  he would visit the district to assess the situation on the ground.

“We have reached surveillance stage. We have taken materials there to commence vaccination in the area,” he said.

Asked if schools would be closed in the area as the cases had kept on rising, Muchima said the public would be advised accordingly.

“We want to see because this is coming as a result of maybe poor sanitation, you know Kasumbalesa, we want to contain it the way we did in Nakonde district but if it continues escalating, we will advise accordingly,” he said. “I will be visiting the area on Friday, and Saturday I will go there to see the situation on the ground.”

And Njekwa said the situation was bad as the district had kept on recording new cases.

She said after the outbreak, the local authority toured the area and discovered that some restaurants were operating with unsanitary conditions.

“From January 20th, we have recorded 57 cases and five deaths, areas with a lot of hazards that could lead to the outbreak of the disease. So with these numbers, we have two cholera treatment centers but we are yet to create another one,” she said.

“You know it’s the carelessness of people, they are eating from where they are not supposed to eat from, in dirty restaurants. You know cholera comes where there is dirt.” 

Njekwa said the government would commence the distribution of chlorine and other vital essentials that would help curb the outbreak.

“So what we are doing as government now if we are trying to close dirty restaurants and trying to stop street vending because sometimes vendors sell dirty food,” said Njekwa

The district commissioner also said health inspectors would close down any restaurant operating in unsanitary conditions.

Chililabombwe district has recorded nine new cases of Cholera, bringing the total number of suspected cases to 70.

Meanwhile, Chingola Municipal Council assistant public relations manager Evelyn Mulenga had advised marketeers to trade from designated market places across the district to  prevent the outbreak of cholera and ensuring public health safety.

Mulenga  emphasized  numerous benefits of utilizing designated trading places, which ensured compliance with health regulations, improve sanitation and

promote fair trading practices which were vital components in combating cholera and other communicable diseases.

“Additionally designated trading places are equipped with essential facilities, including ablution blocks, boreholes and sufficient trading stands,” Mulenga stated in a statement.

She stated that as part of the cholera prevention measures, the council was reinforcing the importance of hygiene practices such as regular hand washing, proper waste disposal and maintaining

clean trading environments.

” By adhering to these practices, marketeers and the community can significantly reduce the risk of cholera transmission,” stated Mulenga






Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

error: Content is protected !!