Cholera death toll hits 410

Ministry of Health says it is moving to step up interventions as the country continues to grapple with the cholera outbreak which has to date claimed 410 lives.

Data from the ministry shows that the country has registered 71 deaths in the past two weeks with Tuesday recording six deaths and 189 cases bringing the number of cases to 13 837.

The data for the past week show that lakeshore districts of Mangochi, Salima, Nkhata Bay and Nkhotakota still lead in cases while Blantyre and Lilongwe cities are registering high number of daily recorded cases.

Ministry of Health director of preventive health services Dr Storn Kabuluzi called on all stakeholders to support the ministry in fighting the outbreak by, among others, raising awareness on prevention and treatment as well as providing water and sanitation services to people.

He said: “The Ministry of Water and Sanitation, traditional and faith leaders, the media and non-governmental organisations should support us in ensuring that people have safe water and toilets and sending messages to people to understand how cholera is spread.”

While emphasising that water, sanitation and hygiene are key in cholera control, Kabuluzi said government is requesting for more cholera vaccines as additional interventions.

He further commended partners such as the World Health Organisation, Malawi Red Cross Society and Unicef for supporting the fight against cholera.

Each of the country’s 28 districts has reported cholera cases since the confirmation of the first case in Machinga District in March this year. However, the outbreak has been controlled in eight districts.

Mangochi has reported the highest number of cases (3 654 cases and 70 deaths) since the onset of the outbreak, followed by Salima (1 532 cases and 41 deaths), Nkhata Bay (1 494 cases and 42 deaths), Nkhotakota (1 167 cases and 51 deaths), Blantyre (1 130 with 44 deaths), Rumphi (1 034 cases and 17 deaths), Karonga (862 cases and 21 deaths) and Lilongwe (509 cases and 46 deaths).

Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 co-chairperson Dr Wilfred Chalamira Nkhoma said in a separate interview yesterday that they will hold their first meeting today to discuss the way forward on the matter.

President Lazarus Chakwera last week tasked the task force to also coordinate the fight against the cholera outbreak in all sectors and ministries.

It will further ensure that the national cholera response plan is followed by all players, monitor actual implementation of the National Plan, advise on police decisions, look at various policies and strategies as well as mobilising additional resources outside the budget and monitoring and tracking utilisation of the funds.

Last month, Ministry of Health conducted a vaccination exercise in 13 districts and later in Mangochi due to the rise in cases in the district. The Mangochi exercise is targeting 187 000 people.

Earlier this month, Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo-Chiponda expressed concern over private hospitals’ continued referral of cholera cases to public health centres, thereby exerting pressure on public facilities.

She lamented the dire situation at Bwaila Hospital where a cholera camp is congested as some private clinics were allegedly refusing to treat the patients.

Chiponda said much as the ministry is there to provide critical health services, it is also the responsibility of private facilities to help people.

In a statement issued last month, the World Health Organisation indicated that the upsurge in the number of cases in Malawi during the dry season means that the rainy season poses the threat of further disease spread nationwide.