Lilongwe City Council Tightens Hygiene Measures to Combat Cholera Outbreak

Malawi: Lilongwe City Council (LCC) has strengthened its measures on hygiene in an effort to combat the spreading of the cholera outbreak in the city, according to Mayor Richard Banda, writes Moses Nyirenda.

"The cholera outbreak in the city is a challenging situation, which is why we have decided to tighten our measures on hygiene in order to mitigate the outbreak," he said.

"To this end, we have closed some places in the city where hygiene is lacking, including Wakawaka market and Central Poultry 2000 Limited, and have advised the owners of these places that their establishments will not be reopened until we see improvements," Banda continued.

The mayor also mentioned that the city council is committed to ensuring that individuals and institutions in Lilongwe city comply with the by-laws set forth by the council in order to improve hygiene in the city.

As part of this effort, the city council recently banned the sale of chips and meat (Kanyenya) in Lilongwe city markets and the Lilongwe bus terminal.

In addition to closing facilities and banning certain businesses on hygiene grounds, the city council has also intensified clean-up initiatives in the city.

"Our staff is already on the ground, and we have also brought in additional trucks to collect all of the garbage within the city, as well as hired additional equipment to help us clean up the city," Banda said.

Ministry of Health Public Relations Officer Adrian Chikumbe praised the LCC for its commitment to combating the cholera outbreak in the country, particularly in Lilongwe city.

"As the presidential taskforce on cholera calls on stakeholders to join the fight against the cholera outbreak in the country, it is encouraging to see the city council showing commitment in this fight," Chikumbe said.