Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda says cholera, which has killed more than 1,700 people over the past year, is no longer a public health emergency in Malawi.
Chiponda who is also chairperson of the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19 and Cholera has said this in a statement today.
According to Chiponda, the declaration has been made by the taskforce after reviewing the cholera situation in Malawi.
“The cholera trend has continued to show a decline in new cases and deaths over the past three months.
“There is now a significant reduction in the number of cases and deaths being reported and 26 out of 29 health districts have controlled the outbreak,” reads part of the statement.
Chiponda adds that the three remaining districts which are Chikwawa, Blantyre and Mangochi are reporting less than five cases per day.
The declaration means that the grading of cholera outbreak has been reassessed from level 3 to level 1 and the Ministry will now be reporting weekly cases rather than daily cases.
However, Malawi’s cholera prevention measures will continue to be implemented until the outbreak is over in all health districts.
President Lazarus Chakwera declared cholera as a public health emergency on 5 December, 2022. The outbreak started in March last year killing 1,768 people with the country recording 58,979 cases.
