Minister of Health Elijah Muchima says one more new case of cholera has been recorded in 24 hours bringing the cumulative number to 144 cases and seven deaths recorded since the outbreak of the disease in December last year.

Dr Muchima noted that Copperbelt province has since recorded 120 cases while Muchinga province, specifically Nakonde District has recorded 24 cases hence bringing the total number to 144 cases cumulatively.

Speaking during a press briefing at Ndola Teaching Hospital in Ndola District on the Copperbelt Province, Dr Muchima said that Ndola and Chingola Districts recorded one new case of cholera each and that no death has been recorded apart from the seven deaths that were recorded since the outbreak of cholera.

The Health Minister, however, said that the government is putting up some measures to attain the disease such as the provision of 129, 000 cholera oral vaccines that will be administered to people in the affected areas by Friday this week.

He further said that over 150 health volunteers will be deployed in KasumbaLesa to help with the administration of the vaccines.

The Minister stated that among other preventive measures put across is the drilling of 10 bore holes by the government of which one will be Installed by the business community in the area.

Other interventions include burying and treatment of 3,593 shallow wells further indicating that tests carried out revealed contamination with human waste.

“Also, it has come to our attention that most of the patients are business people going to Kasumbalesa to do business because most of the people who are admitted in the cholera centers are not from Kasumbalesa,” he said.

He therefore, highlighted the need for putting up police checkpoints to ensure that all the people and truck drivers going into Chililabombwe district are sanitized.

He added that the outbreak is merely being caused because of lack of clean drinking water and as a result of lack of proper waste management in the area.

“We are going to put up 10 boreholes each with 10 ,000 liters in affected areas to ensure there is enough clean water to be supplied to the people in Kasumbalesa,” he said.

Dr Muchima also announced that the government will procure one ambulance in the course of next week to be taken to Chililabombwe as well as the provision of 150 volunteers with the help of the United Nations Emergency International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to contain the diseases.

The Minister of Health has since appealed to members of the public to adhere to Cholera prevention guidelines such as keeping high standards of cleanliness through washing of hands frequently and rushing to the nearest clinic whenever they experience vomiting and diarrhoea.