The Ministry of Health and Population has said the number of people who have died from cholera during the current rainy season has reached 13.
According to Ministry of Health Spokesperson Joshua Malango, 14 new cholera cases have been recorded over the past two days taking the number of cases since the start of the outbreak to 679.
“On 1st March, 2018, cholera deaths have reached 13 with 14 new cholera cases. Number of patients under treatment has also increased to 34 and cumulative cases of cholera have reached 679,” Malango said.
Recently, 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.
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.
