Cholera spreads to Lilongwe, records four deaths

 Lilongwe City has become the latest hub of cholera outbreak with four deaths and 33 cases recorded at Bwaila Treatment Centre on Friday, the Ministry of Health has confirmed.

The situation has forced city authorities to shut down some restaurants and ban sale of already prepared food in public places in a desperate bid to contain the situation.

At a press conference yesterday, Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo-Chiponda warned that the situation could worsen if residents do not adhere to preventive measures.

She said: “Yesterday [Friday] I visited areas in Lilongwe where we are getting many cholera patients.

“From what I have seen and reports we are getting from other districts, it is clear that we need to do more.”

Meanwhile, Kandodo-Chiponda has expressed concern over private hospitals continued referral of cholera cases to Bwaila and other public health centres.

She said this development is exerting pressure on public facilities.

“We licensed them to treat all diseases so we are asking them to treat the cases. Cholera, after all, is treatable,” the minister said.

Painting a national picture, Kandodo-Chiponda said as of Friday, there were 155 new cases with most of them (93) recorded in Mangochi.

“About 242 cases were currently in treatment centres…the major factors associated with cholera outbreak in communities is poor food hygiene, lack of safe water and low latrines coverage and usage,” she said.

Speaking at the press conference, Lilongwe City Mayor Richard Banda said he summoned a council meeting on Friday to come up with measures to contain the situation.

The council, among other things, has banned food cooked at funerals and sale of ready prepared food in schools.

Meanwhile, World Health Organisation (WHO) representative Ishmael Nyasulu has expressed concern with low cholera vaccine uptake despite the epidemic ravaging the country. WHO donated 2.9 million doses of the vaccines and the ministry reported at the press briefing that there has been slow uptake