The country is still registering a high number of cholera cases as 14 new cases were recorded on Friday.
According to Ministry of Health and Population Spokesperson Joshua Malango, the cases were reported in Lilongwe, Rumphi and Karonga.
“On 9th February 2018, 14 new Cholera cases were reported from 3 districts; 5 in Lilongwe, 1 in Rumphi and 8 in Karonga,” Malango said.
He added that some cholera patients are still admitted in health facilities in the districts of Lilongwe, Rumphi, Salima and Karonga.
“26 Cholera patients are still admitted at the treatment centres in Lilongwe, Rumphi, Salima and Karonga. Cumulatively, 434 cases have been reported in the 12 affected districts with 6 deaths,” Malango said.
On Friday, Malawi Minister of Health and Population Atupele Muluzi warned that Malawi will continue to have cholera outbreaks if Malawians do not start to follow prevention measures.
Muluzi made the warning when presenting a ministerial statement on the cholera situation in the August House in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe.
The minister said Malawians should make sure they are observing hygiene to prevent the disease.
“It is not acceptable to simply throw rubbish out of the window, defecate in the open or allow your surroundings to fill with detritus. We must work together to clean up our country to eradicate the possibility of diseases like cholera spreading,” he said.
He observed that cholera outbreaks occur in countries that lack the critical national infrastructure to effectively manage their waste and where there is open defecation.
