By As Zambia continues to devise means of fighting the deadly disease that has also claimed tens of people’s lives, Israel sends specialists to the country to help provide a further helping hand.
Amos Chanda, Zambia’s presidential spokesperson, on Sunday 7 January, announced that a team of medical specialists from Israel had arrived in the Country to help with the Presidential initiative of dealing with the cholera problem.
Speaking as he addressed the press and the gathering during the daily cholera emergency response meeting and briefings at Ndeke House on Sunday morning, Mr. Chanda revealed that the main intervention of the specialists from Israel, would as well be the deployment of high technology to deal with water purification and treatment.
This is regarded as the overall objective to help deal with cholera in a comprehensive manner. Mr. Chanda said that the technology and water purification and treatment methods would help kill the cholera bacteria completely.
‘This team comprises of water Engineers and Epidemiologists. They are 5 of them. I gave them a brief and surrendered them to the Minister of Health. They have held briefings and gone on the ground to conduct tests and gather information about the epidemic,’ Mr. Chanda said
‘This evening, I will be taking them to the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Water so that he links them up with the technical staff at the Ministry,’ he explained.
Zambia had already started running hygienic methods throughout Lusaka, the capital, which is said to be the most affected area.
‘So this will be short term, Medium term and in the long term will provide technical advice and support that will help the government combat this problem. The technical advice will also include interventions for medium and long term to address sanitation problems especially in high density population areas, focusing on the areas where the epidemic is most serious,’ he said.
He finally explained clearing the press that Israel’s intervention in the matter is not a government to government thing, but a response to the government of Zambia’s presidential initiative.
Correspondent: Shamilah Namuddu