Malawi cholera death toll rises to 10
Minister of Health, Atupele Muluzi has confirmed that Cholera death toll has risen to 10 after the death of one person in Lilongwe in the early hours of Tuesday .
Cholera is a water-borne diarrhoeal disease that can kill within hours if left untreated, but is easily cured with oral rehydration, intravenous fluids and antibiotics.
Clean water and hygiene standards are critical to controlling transmission.
Muluzi bemoaned that this was a worsening trend as the number of cholera cases are increasing in Malawi.
He said health officials have begun a media blitz to educate people about the risk of cholera and what steps they can take to avoid contracting it.
Muluzi said the main strategy for cholera control remains use of safe and potable water, good sanitation, and personal hygiene.
“In most cases what has happened in Lilongwe [in terms of cholera] is due to poor access of clean water but as government, we are looking forward to come with strategies to provide clean water to the people,” said Muluzi.
The new cholera cases have been reported from three districts namely Salima, Karonga and Lilongwe with 550 cases in total as some patients are still admitted in health facilities across the country.
“Although the cholera cases are rising, it is not yet an outbreak, I should just urge all Malawians to take care when it comes to sanitation issues like washing hands after visiting the toilet, boiling drinking water and many other measures that will prevent the disease from spreading,” advised Muluzi.
UNICEF’s representative to Malawi Johannes Wedenig told local media that “as long as people in Malawi don’t change the behaviour of using unsafe water, it’ll be very difficult to contain”.
He urged Malawians to follow strict sanitation rules and stressed the importance of hand-washing before eating or preparing food.
The country has also received 216,000 oral cholera treatment packs from the World Health Organization which are being distributed in the badly-affected northern region, Muluzi said.
Another 450,000 doses are expected to arrive soon for distribution in the rest of the country, added Muluzi, confirming the current toll.
Muluzi expressed optimism that additional vaccines would further help in controlling the spread of the disease, particularly in high-risk areas.
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Malawi is a sorry state where everything is in the process! Its leaders are in the process of serving and controlling the situation. That is the case in a country where the literacy rate is 64%; where its health minister seems not to know what he is talking about taking an advantage that we have not yet taken him to the task. So whatever he says is at the comfort of his position and free will to inform or not to inform.
Why do I say this?
The Minister said “health officials have begun a media blitz to educate people about the risk of cholera and what steps they can take to avoid contracting it” Where was this all along? and he continued “…..but as government, we are looking forward to coming with strategies to provide clean water to the people,” Still looking forward to coming up with strategies?. Knowing my country, when and where they will come up with the strategies etc You never know maybe in December, in Mangochi at an expensive hotel somewhere? What we need to know is that Cholera has opened its jerking jaws chewing one victim after the other with no mercy, but we seem to be too slow to stop him! Sad that it is apparent the counting of the dead has just begun!
Another point is the fact that disaster management office should be looking into problems like this rather than focussing on floods alone. We need to have a very clear preparedness plan in place for disease outbreaks etc. That’s where you invest money. As a country, we need to prioritise preventive mechanisms rather than curative medicine. I think as a country we have an advanced capacity for public health systems, but then with no clear financing mechanism, everything is betrayed. In short – no political will. Pepani Malawi!
Dziko logwidwa ndi Kanyela dziwani kuti atsogoleri ake mitu yao simayenda!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This could not be a repeating problem if our Leaders are there for people. We would deal with this Kanyeala kale kale……………………