Cholera rumours stir panic in Mangochi
Rumours of a cholera outbreak have brought fear and panic among communities in Sub-Traditional Authority (ST/A) Lulanga in Mangochi.
This follows two cases of children who were held for five hours for observation at Masasa Clinic after showing the waterborne disease’s signs and symptoms.
Makanjira Cluster area environmental health officer Henry Banda, who is also a medical assistant at Masasa Clinic, said on Thursday the clinic received Ibra Adam, 9, and Buba Adam, 10, from Nyundo Village, who were passing loose stools and had abdominal pains.
“Buba was weaker than Ibra and was sweating. We treated them and discharged them around 5pm the same day after holding them for about five hours to observe their condition,” he said.
Banda said it was revealed that both boys had taken the first dose of cholera vaccine last year in December.
However, the health officer suspected that the left-over food the boys ate while their parents and other family members were in the garden might have caused their condition.
On his part, Mangochi District Hospital Sspokesperson Harlod Kabuluzi said the children’s condition was not cholera. He said if it was cholera the community would be informed.
He has since advised households to avoid taking left-over meals to avoid food poisoning and practise personal hygiene. n
