Despite a nationwide immunization campaign that began in May, Malawi suffered a cholera outbreak that infected more than 1,073 people and killed 44. I'm struggling to contain the outbreak.
As of 16 August 2022, the Malawi Ministry of Health's updated figures are three times higher than those recorded when the immunization campaign began three months earlier.
The report also states that the outbreak has spread from his 8th district in May to his 10th district. The most severely affected districts include Blantyre at 489, Neno at 128 and Nsanje at 289.
George Mbotova, spokesperson for the health department in the Nsanje district, which borders Mozambique in the south of Malawi, said the continued outbreak of cholera in the district was largely due to interpersonal migration between the two countries. He said it was due to movement.
"What bothers me is that now they keep documenting cases that should have contained the situation," he said. “This is because we share some of these cases with Mozambique, so cases originate from Mozambique, are reported to Nsanje health facilities, and are recorded as Nsanje cases.”
13}Mbotova said the situation was slowly improving after Mozambican officials agreed in recent talks to set up a cholera treatment center on the side of the border.
“At the time, there were no cholera treatment facilities on the Mozambique side, but there are now, so people can report cases on the spot, unlike cases coming to Malawi. I can," he said.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by ingesting food or water contaminated with bacteria. The disease affects both children and adults and can lead to death within hours if left untreated.
Blantyre's Environmental Health Officer, Penjani Chunda, said that Blantyre is largely urban, but most people get their water from unprotected sources such as rivers and streams. He said cholera cases were on the rise.
"Most parts of Blantyre do not have portable water sources," he said. "It may look like an urban setting, but there is no portable water source, some areas have dry taps, and [water] kiosks are not working at all."
Ministry of Health spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe said health authorities are now distributing chlorine for water treatment and educating the public on good hygiene.
Chicumbe also hopes that the second phase of the nationwide oral cholera vaccination campaign, which will soon begin in the hardest-hit areas, will help contain the situation.
