Minister of Health Dr Chitalu Chilufya says Zambia has only recorded 12 cases of cholera in the last 24 hours, which is a leap towards the end of the epidemic.

Meanwhile, Dr Chilufya says government will not allow the establishment of any fishing camps on sites without adequate facilities.

At a cholera update briefing, Thursday, Dr Chilufya said the country had recorded the lowest cases in the last 24 hours and zero deaths in the last seven days.

He said government would work towards completely eradicating the epidemic.

“We have recorded the lowest number of cholera cases since the outbreak begun. In the last 24 hours, we have recorded 12 cases of cholera. This is a leap towards the end of this epidemic. We shall however maintain vigilance, continue our multi-sectoral approach to ensure that the epidemic is completely wiped out. We will ensure that we will continue thriving on the political will that has been shown by His Excellency the President Edgar Chagwa Lungu who has played a major role in this epidemic, making bold decisions, ordering the military interventions that have produced good results. If you look at the state of Lusaka today, we also like to acknowledge the support that we have gotten from the private sector, our partners and the community itself. The last seven days have recorded zero deaths from the community or from the facility,” Dr Chilufya said.

Dr Chilufya said government would soon distribute some health guidelines under a policy called “Health in All Policy” in order to protect people from illness.

“In Health in All Policy, we expect all our work places, schools and trading places to take hygiene as a top priority. In Health in All Policy, we expect the Ministry of Education to couch its curriculum to give measured information in all key subjects so that children embrace wellness from the onset…to protect them from various illnesses,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Chilufya said government would not allow fishermen to set up fishing camps in areas without good sanitation and clean water.

“We are working closely with the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries and in this year, the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries is working with the Ministry of Health to set minimum standards for any place known as fishing camp. In other words, there shall be no fishing camps established in traditional places if there is no access to good sanitation and water. In the past, we have recorded outbreaks in fishing camps so we cannot continue recording outbreaks in fishing camps and do nothing about it. So we need to do things differently and ensure that our people have facilities, if those facilities don’t exist, we will not create a recipe for another outbreak in the fishing camps. The honourable Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Honorable Katambo will issue a detailed statement,” said Dr Chilufya.