Cholera Outbreak: No new cases reported

The five districts which were affected by Cholera have registered no new cases since mid-January, the ministry of health says.

Director of preventive health services in the ministry Storn Kabuluzi told local media that people in the country have helped curb the outbreak since they took patients to hospitals on time.

When the disease first hit the country starting on Boxing Day last year, there was a total number of 722 patients.

A report the ministry has released shows that, as of last week, the total number of cholera patients in treatment camps nationwide is 11. Of the 11, Zomba has three patients, Phalombe has six and Karonga has two.

“In general, we can say that the measures are working out okay. As you know, these are scientifically proven measures for controlling cholera not only by Malawi but even the WHO [World Health Organisation] and all what we need to do is to put them in place and implement them as a team and we will see results on the ground,” said Kabuluzi.

Cholera is a predictable and preventable disease transmitted through poor sanitation and hygiene as well as poor preparedness.

Medics say the disease is often spread by eating food contaminated by germs from human waste. Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration.

Those who do not have access to a hospital or clinic for rehydration therapy can die within 24 hours.

Malawi last experienced a large-scale cholera outbreak in 2009, when more than 1,000 people were infected.