Diseases claim over 10 000 lives in 2023
Diseases and other health conditions claimed over 10 000 lives, particularly children, in the year 2023, according to provisional statistics sourced from Health Management Information System.
With the exception of the country’s central hospitals, the data shows that 10 257 inpatient deaths from all causes were registered from January to November 2023 in the country’s district hospitals.
Deaths caused by acute respiratory infections anoung under-five children were at 452, followed by cholera which claimed 399 lives, while 252 direct obstetric deaths were recorded.
From the total figure, malaria topped the list, claiming 1 009 under five children’s lives and 1 185 for those aged five and above, representing 21.9 percent of the total figure.
While the statistics for this year are incomplete, it is clear that the carnage caused by malaria has not substantially receded as the disease remains one of Africa’s deadliest, killing nearly half a million under-five children annually, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
WHO reported that malaria killed 2 500 Malawians in 2020, translating into six deaths per day while 6.9 million suffered from the disease in the same period, making it the most prevalent disease in the country.
“Malaria continues to be one of the highest contributing factors to child illness in Malawi with 15 percent of all admissions in hospitals being malaria cases,” said Adrian Chikumbe, Ministry of Health spokesperson.
While bemoaning the number of cholera cases and deaths in 2023, he particularly warned that non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the commonest being hypertension and cancer, are now on the increase due to so many risk factors, including sedentary lifestyles.
In its report titled ‘Global report on hypertension: The race against a silent killer’, WHO claims that hypertension is killing 108 000 Malawians annually or about 296 daily, making it one of the serious silent killers in modern times.
Astepwise Survey for NCD Risk Factors also reported that only four in 10 adults in Malawi have ever had screening for hypertension.
Chikumbe cited low levels of knowledge on risk factors, low personal risk perception and few specialists to manage complicated cases as the most common challenges the country is facing in dealing with both communicable and non-communicable diseases.
He emphasised prevention rather than cure in winning the war against diseases, citing cholera as one of the highly infectious diseases but easy to prevent through hygiene and sanitation.
“A study recently showed that about 52 percent of the communicable diseases can be prevented through hygiene and sanitation, while physical exercise or activity is key in preventing several NCDs, including hypertension,” said Chikumbe.
The data from the ministry of health also indicates that tuberculosis (TB) caused 248 deaths in the country while 220 under-five children died from malnutrition related-illness.
Non-bloody diarrhoea in the same age group claimed 207 lives.
Again, 180 inpatients from road traffic accidents died while dysentery caused 46 deaths.
Apart from diseases and conditions, Cyclone Freddy hit Southern Malawi this year, killing 679 people in the process.
