Cholera no longer public health emergency—task force

The Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 and Cholera has declared cholera as no longer a national public health emergency.

In a statement issued on August 5 and signed by Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, the task force says the declaration is in line with the World Health Organisation system for public health threats.

Malawi has been experiencing the worst cholera outbreak since February 2022, registering 58 979 cases and 1 768 deaths.

Reads the statement in part: “The cholera outbreak trend in Malawi has continued to show a decline in new cases and deaths over the past three months.

“There is now a significant reduction in the number of cases and deaths being reported and 26 out of 29 health districts have controlled the outbreak. The remaining three districts are intermittently reporting less than five cases per day. These are Chikwawa, Mangochi and Blantyre.”

In an interview on Sunday, Chikwawa District Health promotion officer Settie Piriminta attributed the continued new cholera cases to the destruction of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities by tropical cyclones.

He said for the past few days, the district has been registering new cholera cases at St. Montfort, Ngabu and Chipwayira in the district.

“These areas were affected by both Cyclone Freddy and Ana where most sanitary facilities were damaged.  The other factor is that in the said areas, communities practise winter-cropping and they practise open defaecation,” he said.

In a separate interview, Mangochi District chief preventive health officer Kondwani Mamba attributed the continued cholera cases to movement of fishers from different parts in the district.

President Lazarus Chakwera declared cholera a public health emergency on December 5 2023.