National News

Cholera burden: Daily count drops

 

Ministry of Health (MoH) has spoken of some gains in containing the cholera outbreak as daily figures are dropping.

Despite the slump in daily statistics, the nationwide count has jumped from 227 to 265 since last week.

The outbreak has killed four people in Karonga which has registered 196 cases so far.

Villagers wash hands after delivering a patient at a
cholera treatment camp

According to MoH spokesperson Joshua Malango, the burden in Nkhata Bay, which has the third-highest caseload, has remained at 18 for two weeks.  This is just about half of Lilongwe’s count (37).

He said Karonga and Lilongwe recorded just two cases per day each.

“The new figure, 265, might be on the higher side, but most cases were recorded in the early stages of the outbreak,” explained Malango.

He thanked prone populations for heeding preventive messages to practise good hygiene, use toilets and treat water with chlorine and Water Guard.

However, Malango said the outbreak is not over.

Nkhata Bay is still among 16 districts on high alert. The ministry was due to declare Nkhata Bay cholera-free on Monday, but public health officials continue intensifying interventions to prevent a return of the outbreak.

Nkhata Bay District Hospital spokesperson Christopher Singini said they are cautious to avoid deadly consequences and stifling inflows of necessary supplies.n

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