Cholera claims two more
Two more people have died of cholera raising the death toll to 19. The two, who died on Monday, are from Salima and Dedza.
At least nine new cholera cases were recorded on Monday in Dedza, Salima, Lilongwe and Karonga raising the cumulative cases to 718.
As of Monday, 19 patients were in treatment camps in Rumphi, Salima, Lilongwe and Karonga.
However, the Ministry of Health maintains the disease has not reached a crisis point.
Spokesperson in the ministry Joshua Malango said the ministry is still intensifying campaigns on prevention of the disease.
“The ministry is currently administering Cholera Oral Vaccine in Karonga District,” he said
But Parliamentary Committee on Health has warned the Ministry of Health not to flag the presence of the cholera vaccine as this will bring laxity among the citizenry.
Parliamentary Committee on Health Chairperson Juliana Lunguzi has also blamed the ministry for failure to prepare for the outbreak despite its being an annual occurrence.
“Every year, the county experiences cholera cases and, to that extent, the ministry should be alert and put up strategies to combat the outbreak. Just like the malaria epidemic, year in, year out, we campaign for the disease and we are winning the fight, why not cholera?
“We should also promote hygienic practices in our homes, towns and cities. If we take a look at our towns, it is pathetic. Equally, some people still do not have proper toilets, how do we eradicate cholera that way? The ministry needs to go back on the drawing table,” she said.
The government is being supported by organisations such as World Health Organisation in combating the outbreak.
The first cholera case was reported on November 24 2017 in Karonga before the scourge spread to other 13 districts.
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