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By BUUMBA CHIMBULU 

ZAMBIA’S annual inflation rate has continued to accelerate hitting a September rate of 12.0 percent at the back of price movements of selected food and non-food items.

Zambia Statistical Agency (ZamStats) Statistician General, Mulenga Musepa, announced yesterday in Lusaka the speeding double digit inflation rate.

Mr Musepa told reporters that the annual inflation for September 2023, increased to 12.0 percent from 10.8 percent recorded in August 2023.

This means that on average, prices of goods and services increased by 12.0 percent between September 2022 and September 2023.

“The annual food inflation for September, 2023 was recorded at 13.4 percent compared to 12.6 percent the previous month.

“This meant on average prices of food items increased by 13.4 percent between September 2022 and September 2023,” Mr Musepa said.

Mr Musepa pointed out that the outturn was mainly attributable to price movements for cereals (breakfast and roller meal, bread flour, maize grain, rice), beef and chicken.

He said annual non-food inflation for September was recorded at 10.1 percent compared to 8.5 percent.

This development was mainly attributed to increases in prices of non-food items such purchase of motor vehicles, fuel and lubricants.

He said that of the overall 12.0 percent annual inflation, food and non-alcoholic beverages group contributed 7.7 percentage points, while non-food items accounted for 4.3 percentage points.

“Of the 4.3 percentage points, transport contributed the highest at 1.6 percentage points followed by housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels at 1.0 p percentage points, clothing and footwear, furniture, household equipment and routine household maintenance at 0.6 and 0.5 percentage points, respectively,” Musepa said.

He added that the rest of the non-food group accounted for the remaining 0.6 percentage points.

Mr Musepa indicated that Lusaka province contributed the highest at 3.9 percentage points to the overall annual inflation of 12.0 percent in September 2023.

Copperbelt and Central provinces contributed 2.2 and 1.2 percentage points, respectively.

He said Eastern and Southern provinces contributed 1.1 percentage points each, while North-western province had the lowest contribution of 0.4percentage points.

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… no ordinary Member of Parliament or minister can easily move Parliament to remove immunity of the former president unlike in the past

By NATION REPORTER 

THE lifting of the former President’s immunity requires no shortcuts and it is not as easy as some sections of society are portraying it, says governance activist Wesley Miyanda.  

By NATION REPORTER

FORTY-TWO organisations under the Zambia NGO WASH Forum have appealed to Government to allocate more resources towards Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programmes in the 2024 National Budget.

The notion that some level of microbial exposure might reduce our risk of developing allergies has arisen over the last few decades and has been termed the hygiene hypothesis.

Up to 15% of children and 5% of adults are affected by the chronic inflammatory skin disease atopic dermatitis. Despite advanced therapy measures, the severe itching and eczema, especially on the elbows or knees, cause great distress to the patients.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common muscular dystrophy diagnosed in childhood, with approximately 20,000 new cases reported each year. It is a progressive muscle disorder that results in the loss of muscle function, ultimately leading those affected to lose their independence and experience severe medical issues. The average life expectancy for individuals with DMD is around 30 years.

President Hakainde Hichilema says he is impressed with the US$100 million crop production initiative by Zambeef Plc aimed at increasing crop production and food security in the country. 

Education, income, and marital status prior to multiple sclerosis (MS) onset are associated with future symptom and disability severity, according to a study published online Sept. 26 in JAMA Network Open.

Autumn is the season of change, with green leaves turning color and temperatures cooling. It’s also the season of hay fever, or allergic rhinitis.

Scores from a commonly used measure of behavior problems in young children may be skewed depending on the primary language, education, and sex of the caregiver who fills out the survey, as well as the child’s age and race, according to new research from the NIH’s Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program.