Zambia:Â In a sudden turn of events on Thursday, 28th December 2023, the Government of Zambia has banned street vending as five people died of Cholera in the last 24- hours.
Statutory Instrument Number 12 of 2018 has been implemented by Local Government and Rural Development Minister Gary Nkombo, making purchasing or selling products on the streets illegal.
NKOMBO says bars, bus stops, churches, sporting facilities and other public places are required to maintain very high hygiene standards as these are the only places where the disease could be easily transmitted.
Health Minister Sylvia Masebo says 111 new Cholera cases were recorded in the last 24 hours. Masebo says among the people who have died from Cholera in the previous 24 hours is a one-year-old child who was brought in from Matero.
According to her, Cholera has spread to the eastern, central, and northern provinces. Meanwhile, the government has installed water tanks to supply water in unserviced regions, according to Water Development and Sanitation Minister Mike Mposha.
MPOSHA says his Ministry also plans to empty 20,000 pit latrines in Lusaka. The three Ministers were speaking during an Inter-Ministerial Briefing on Cholera in Lusaka.
About CholeraÂ
Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by drinking contaminated water and eating affected food with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Cholera remains a global threat to humans through public health and an indicator of inequity and social development.
Cholera is a disease of people experiencing poverty, affecting those who are reluctant to drink safe water and to eat safe food. Cholera is an oral disease, and to curb this, oral anti-cholera vaccines are given to curb the infection within the body.
At a global stage, many treaties have been made to curb this deadly disease from society, and a global roadmap to 2030 targets to end Cholera or reduce Cholera deaths by 90 % was launched back in 2017.
