Dry cholera kills 9 in Malawi, 363 infected near Lake Chilwa
An outbreak of dry cholera has killed nine people in areas surrounding Lake Chilwa with 363 others currently infected, Ministry of Health officials have confirmed.
The outbreak which was firstly noticed in July this year has affected largely fishermen in the districts of Phalombe, Zomba and Machinga who ply their trade on the lake.
Ministry of Health Public Relations Officer, Henry Chimbali told the local media that currently the ministry has intensified measures to contain the outbreak, which has put lives of hundreds of people in the villages surrounding the lake at risk.
“Meanwhile we have intensified the distribution of chlorine. We have also instituted health education campaign as a way of civic educating people on how to contain the outbreak.
“ Almost 90 percent of those affected by the outbreak are fishermen because they took long on the lake fishing and in end they end up drinking unsafe water,” Chimbali explained.
Meanwhile, there have been calls for government to close down all fishing businesses around the lake in order to contain the spread of the outbreak.
Chimbali said the outbreak is called dry cholera because it resulted from unsafe water fishermen are said to be drinking while on the lake conducting their businesses.
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