Malawi confirms 1 anthrax case
Malawi has confirmed the first case of anthrax, a zoonotic disease caused by bacteria transmitted from infected livestock or wild animals to humans.
The case was clinically diagnosed at a health facility in Mzimba District, Secretary for Health Dr Samson Mndolo said in a statement yesterday.
He said the diagnosis was also confirmed by the National Reference Laboratory at the Public Health Institute of Malawi in Lilongwe on Monday, November 27 2023.
The case is an eight-year-old girl who visited Kalikumbi Health Centre bordering Zambia’s Lundazi District, that has two cases of the disease.
Said Mndolo: “The Ministry of Health is working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture [Department of Animal Health and Livestock Development], healthcare professionals, local authorities, and international partners such as the World Health Organisation [WHO] to ensure proper surveillance, response, and timely treatment of the patient.”
He has since urged the public to avoid contact with sick or dead animals, especially those displaying unusual symptoms, but also not to consume meat or other products from animals suspected of being infected with anthrax.
Anthrax infection symptoms include as skin sores, severe headaches, fever, or respiratory distress after getting in contact with an infected animal.
In an interview yesterday, Mzimba South director of health and social services Dr. Prince Chirwa said the girl was clinically stable.
