Phalombe in anti-cholera campaign

Phalombe District will from February 16 start administering a cholera vaccine to communities around Lake Chilwa to prevent further spread of the cholera outbreak. So far, one person has died in the district.

Briefing District Executive Committee (DEC) members at the boma on Monday, Phalombe District Hospital environmental health officer Kennedy Kanyimbo said the district has had the outbreak for four weeks, registering a cumulative figure of 82 cases.

He said the outbreak has been contained with all the cholera camps having zero new cases.

Kanyimbo said the district health office (DHO) plans to vaccinate 80 000 people and has lined up sensitisation campaigns.

The vaccination exercise will see community members over the age of one being vaccinated with a World Health Organisation (WHO) approved oral cholera Shanchol vaccine between two to six weeks interval.

Shanchol is a new cholera vaccine that has no known adverse side effects according to Medicins Sans Frontierès (MSF).

Apart from Phalombe; Zomba, Machinga, Karonga and Nkhata Bay have also been affected by cholera.