Rumphi in cholera vaccine campaign

Health workers in Rumphi have entered a second week of providing oral vaccination in areas affected by cholera.

The campaign is underway in Luwuchi, Katowo and Rumphi Boma which have registered 10 cholera cases.

The disease has affected 626 people and killed 12 in 13 districts.

Rumphi District Hospital acting director of health services Stephen Macheso said his office has deployed staff in strategic areas to administer oral vaccine to children aged under five.

“We want to reduce overcrowding in health facilities and to ensure no child is left out in this campaign,” he said.

According to Macheso, the vaccine guarantees the highly at-risk age

District environmental health officer Menard Theu said they planned to cover the entire district, but scaled down to affected areas due to financial constraints.

Luwuchi and Chitimba, which borders the worst hit district of Karonga (with 303 cases and four deaths so far), comprise fishing villages where open defaecation is common.

Katowo is along the boundary between Malawi and Zambia which has registered thousands of cases. n