‘New’ disease outbreak in Tukombo

Diarrhoea. Vomiting. And abdominal pains. These are some of the symptoms prevalent in patients at Tukombo Private Clinic in Nkhata Bay District. Health personnel and locals are clueless on the organism causing this illness.

So far, at least three people have died while 50 cases have been registered at the private clinic in the last two weeks. But there are several other unreported cases and deaths in homes, according to health personnel and traditional leaders we have talked to.

Toras Mnyenyembe, 25, from Chisumphi Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Zilakoma, is one of the patients.

On Sunday afternoon, we saw her stagger out of the clinic, feeling nausea and dizzy. No drug was given to her as she was referred to Chintheche Rural Hospital, a distance worth K6 000 for a round trip. Her face could tell the pain she was going through.

“It’s a week now since I have been vomiting. But now I am also feeling dizzy. I came here for medical assistance, but I’m told they don’t have water drips; hence, referring me to another hospital,” she said.

Mnyenyembe said she spent K15 000 to buy drugs she was taking in the past week but there has been no change in her condition.

“That’s why I decided to come again and possibly be given a water drip,” she said.

During the visit, The Nation crew found patients crammed in the three-bedroomed house that is used as a private clinic. The verandah was also filled with guardians who escorted their relatives for medical help.

At the time, the clinic had run short of some medical supplies; hence, referring others to Chintheche.

In an interview, Nkhata Bay District council director of health and social services Mwatikonda Mbendera said patients are mostly assisted at the private clinic because Tukombo Dispensary does not have the capacity.

“We have since provided the dispensary with resources and we have established a camp at the clinic so that all cases should be seen there.

“The major challenge is that we don’t have the right fluids to manage these cases. We need ringers lactate which is the right fluid for persons with diarrhoea and vomiting,” he said.

Mbendera said patients are presenting signs of diarrhoea, abdominal pain and vomiting.

“We deployed our team last week and took some samples which we sent to Mzuzu. We were suspecting it to be cholera. But preliminary results do not show it is cholera,” he said.

Mbendera said the disease started at Ngwata area and has since spread to most parts of Tukombo. He said his office has started engaging communities with sensitisation messages on personal hygiene and sanitation.

“During our investigation, we found that the area does not have safe water and many people do not have toilets such that they use the bush to dispose of their waste. We also found that the area does not have safe water.

These could be factors influencing all this. But we are waiting for the final laboratory results. And that’s when we will know what the actual organism is,” he said.

T/A Zilakoma said the disease has mostly affected fishing camps in areas along Lake Malawi. He said it started at Kuwirwi and has since spread to Tukombo, Chisumphi and Chigwira fishing camps.

Village Head Chisumphi said in his village, up to 30 people complain of the illness. He said most of them are unable to access medical attention due to lack of financial resources to foot the bills at the private clinic.

He said his office has also received reports of six deaths.

“In the past four days, we had three funerals. Today, we have just buried another person,” he said.

Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health Charles Mwansambo said his office is aware of the outbreak.

“We have deployed staff on the ground to assess the situation. Then, as a ministry, we will take it from their report to see what we can do,” he said.