Three districts to benefit from cholera vaccines
The Ministry of Health and Population has said only three districts will benefit from 216,000 doses of cholera vaccines from the World Health Organisation (WHO) which arrived in the country on Friday.
Health and Population Minister, Atupele Muluzi, said this in Parliament on Friday in a statement on the cholera situation in the country.
Muluzi said the districts which will benefit from the vaccines are Karonga, Nkhata Bay and Mangochi, which are among the most affected districts in the country.
“The World Health Organisation advises that the cholera vaccine should be used as an additional intervention. The main strategy for cholera control remains use of safe water, good sanitation, and personal hygiene,” Muluzi said.
Muluzi said approximately 450,000 people in the three districts are expected to receive the vaccines.
In the statement, Muluzi said, as of Friday, the number of cholera cases in the country was 420, out of which six cases of death had been recorded.
He said 245 cases were diagnosed in Karonga, with four deaths recorded, while 104 cases were dealt with in Lilongwe.
Other districts affected are Nkhatabay (20 cases), Salima (18 cases), Likoma (11 cases), Nsanje (six cases), Dowa (five cases) and four each in Mulanje and Rumphi. Blantyre, Kasungu and Chikwawa have recorded one case each.
Muluzi said there were other measures put in place to deal with the situation.
“The government has instigated regular coordination meetings at central and district level and the Ministry of Health and Population, through the Department of Preventive Health Services, is supporting local authorities in the implementation of cholera control activities,” Muluzi said.
Dedza East Member of Parliament, Juliana Lunguzi, advised the ministry to be vigilant in the fight against the outbreak, arguing that, although Malawi may not have more cases than Zambia and Tanzania, the fact that lives are being lost in the country should be a cause for concern.
In the statement, Muluzi said Zambia had registered over 3,200 cases, resulting in 74 deaths, while over 4, 000 cases have been registered in Tanzania, resulting in 99 deaths.
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