By Brenda Kayo:
Health Minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda has said the Ministry of Health has put in place precautionary measures for the eventuality of a cholera outbreak, which is wreaking havoc in neighbouring Zambia.
Since October 2023, Zambia has been under cholera siege.
As at January 7 2024, Zambia had registered 5,462 cases of cholera, with 222 fatalities.
Kandodo Chiponda told The Daily Times that Health Ministry officials are working in collaboration with counterparts in the Ministry of Water and Sanitation to ensure that Malawi remains safe.
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She cited the provision of potable water and Chlorine to community members in the country.
“We have put in place a number of interventions which include the launch of the Tithetse Cholera Campaign, which was launched in preparation for this year’s rainy season. We are engaging community members on good practices. We are also distributing Chlorine. We have also stocked all commodities we need for case management in all our district hospitals in case we have cholera cases.
“In addition, we are working with the Ministry of Water and Sanitation, which has done a lot in our communities, in terms of improving on the availability of potable water and the distribution of Chlorine to our communities,” she said.
She, however, said despite that the country has, this year, been registering sporadic cases compared to 2022, cholera remains a public health emergency.
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The minister, therefore, urged Malawians to continue practising hygiene during the rainy season.
Meanwhile, quality health advocate Maziko Matemba has commended the ministry for initiatives it is taking to ensure that cholera cases do not escalate in the country.
However, he urged the ministry to intensify efforts aimed at combating the disease.
“There is a need for the ministry to put in place measures aimed at ensuring that there is proper screening and surveillance at the borders.
“The ministry also has to make sure that our facilities have medicines in stock so that we should not see people dying due to the disease,” he said.
Malawi has recorded 47 cholera cases, with two deaths, since the start of the 2023-24 rainy season.
Karonga, Mzimba, Nsanje, Phalombe, Mulanje, Blantyre, Balaka, Thyolo are among districts that have registered cholera cases from November 2023, according to the Ministry of Health.
