The Mazabuka District Disaster Management Committee (DDMC) has ordered the immediate closure of Ndeke Market and all taverns in Ndeke Township as a measure of controlling Cholera which broke out in the district four days ago.

The DDMC has also instructed Mazabuka Municipal Council and health authorities to ensure all the 57 shallow Wells where residents fetch water for drinking and other domestic chores are buried within 48 hours.

Mazabuka District Commissioner Tyson Hamaamba, who chaired an urgent DDMC meeting, also directed the council to immediately unblock the drainages in the township to allow water to flow.

Mr. Hamaamba said government spent a lot of money in buying the light trucks for the Keep Mazabuka Clean Campaign and therefore would not entertain any negative attitude towards the programme.

He said the outbreak could have been avoided if preventive measures were put in place by the local authority prior to the rain season.

And Mr. Hamaamba urged State and Council police to monitor residents failing to adhere to the burying of Wells and throwing of litter in the refuse bins and take necessary action.

Meanwhile, Health authorities have described the Cholera situation in Ndeke as bad.

Briefing an emergency district disaster management committee meeting, Acting District Director of Health, Ellias Hamatanga called for concerted efforts from all stakeholders in dealing with the outbreak of the Cholera.

Yesterday Mazabuka District in Southern Province recorded nine new cases of Cholera bringing the total number of patients admitted to Ndeke Cholera centre to 21.

Health staff at the Cholera centre told ZANIS in Mazabuka that the situation is getting worse despite the discharge of 13 patients.

The health staff at the Cholera centre called on the district health management team to urgently beef up personnel at the centre.

They also complained that no doctor has been to the centre to assess patients except for clinical officers and nurses since the disease broke out.

A team from the Provincial Health Office in Livingstone which is in the district to assess the situation advised Acting District Director of Health, Ellias Hamatanga to quickly recruit more staff for the Cholera centre.

The team which is led by Provincial Clinical Care Specialist Dr Simon Mutembo also brought logistics to the district health management team for Cholera prevention and treatment.