State lifts on fish ban
has lifted the fish ban countrywide fol-
lowing measures that the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries had put in place to address issues of water and sanitation.
Speaking during a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday Minister of Health Dr Chitalu Chilufya said the ban which had been extended by Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries following the recent cholera outbreak that had hit selected parts of the country, had been lifted with immediate effect.
Dr Chilufya explained that the cholera Task Force Team would continue to monitor what was
happening in all parts of the country where fishing activities were taking place adding that at slightest sign that there was any danger to the public health, decisions shall be made to revisit such areas.
“As a Task Force team we did our review and we have come to the conclusion that it is now safe to commence fishing in all parts of the country starting today.
“The Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries have advanced in putting up measures with the support of other stakeholders including the Ministry of Health to address water and sanitation challenges in various parts of the country and they have also procured tanks and services from companies to improve sanitation in certain areas that shall be designated as safe fishing areas,” Dr Chilufya explained.
And Dr Chilufya also said the cholera outbreak that had hit selected parts of the country had been contained except for sporadic cases recorded in some parts of the country especially the epicenter.
He said government was confident that the situation would be under control but urged the public, stakeholders and partners to continue strengthening all the key interventions that had been implemented to ensure that the epidemic was controlled.
Dr Chilufya also said that government was working hard to ensure that the Zambian citizens were protected from Listeriosis that had hit South Africa with 980 cases recorded and with 183 deaths. “We have not recorded any case of Listeriosis in Zambia and we have instituted a Task Force Team who investigated all the ready to eat meat products both from South Africa and Zambian companies.
“We are here to report that there has been no clinical case of Listeriosis in the country and the evidence that has come from South Africa on meat products from enterprises has been validated even locally here,” Dr Chilufya said.