Cholera outbreak fears over Malawi floods

Severe floods in Malawi are raising fears of a large-scale cholera outbreak, a health official said on Thursday, as the country grapples with a disaster that has killed at least 48 people and made 70 000 homeless over the past few days.

This is one of the few houses left in Matsukambiya village in the southern district of Chikwawa.-Photo by Thoko Chikondi, BBC
This is one of the few houses left in Matsukambiya village in the southern district of Chikwawa.-Photo by Thoko Chikondi, BBC

The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services has forecast further heavy rain and flash floods for the next two to three weeks, especially in the south where the rains have already caused most damage.

President Peter Mutharika declared half the southern African country a disaster zone on Tuesday.

“Obviously with the scale of the floods, the likelihood of outbreaks of cholera and other waterborne disease is very high and we are worried,” Health Ministry spokesman Henry Chimbali told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview.

“We have stationed response supplies in all affected districts but if the outbreak is on a larger scale, we would need immediate help.”

The worst recorded outbreak of cholera in Malawi was during a drought in 2001/2 when nearly 1 000 people, mostly children, died out of 33 000 cases.

No outbreak has been reported yet this year.

Cholera is always present in Malawi at a low level, mainly in the rainy season when sanitation is poor and drinkable water scarce, and health officials rate the ‘normal’ cholera infection rate at 0.2 percent of the population.

The current heavy rains have also damaged crops, raising fears of a poor harvest. Last year, Malawi’s farmers harvested 3.9 million tons of the staple crop, maize, providing a surplus of almost one million tons. –Reuters

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Gerald
9 years ago

God never give us such disaster kungoti tili masiku otsiliza! Ndiye it’s not wonderful

Emma Emma
9 years ago

Ok! Tamva Bambo

Emma Emma
9 years ago

Ok!

ashraff mwanyakaka
ashraff mwanyakaka
9 years ago

Remember ths good and bad comes from anllah he s the one who brought ths and he is the one who will stop ths jst pray 5 tyms aday ask him to take us out of ths calamity ameen thunma ameem

kenson Nyondo
9 years ago

God have mercy on us

Gerald
9 years ago

Matenda amenewo eeeeee!! Sizaphada

Harris Batson
9 years ago

Don’t be afraid with cholera outbreak God w’ll provide everything upon his people.He can’t give us two disaster within one year.what I want to ask to our religious leader to come out with their prayers to ask our almighty God to give us good rain.same it was last year before this disaster.

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