Nkhotakota DHO dispels cholera fears

Nkhotakota District Hospital has dismissed reports that a patient admitted to the hospital showed signs of cholera.

In an interview on Tuesday, hospital spokesperson Samson Mfuyeni said the patient in question was discharged on Monday having been monitored for three days.

“In fact, we received a suspected cholera patient. We monitored the progress for three days but tests showed that the patient did not have cholera,” he said.

Mfuyeni said in readiness to manage cholera outbreaks which are common during rainy season, the hospital has in stock medical supplies and that some of them have been dispatched to health surveillance assistants (HSAs) across the district.

According to a report that Malawi Red Cross Society published on January 24 2016, at least 18 people in Malawi died of cholera in a month following an outbreak in Machinga and Zomba.

As of January 20 2016, six districts had reported cholera cases. n