Malawi Cholera Outbreak Claims Over 1000 Lives

Health Minister Khumbize Chiponda has revealed that despite hospitalization numbers reaching 30, 621, Malawi’s deadliest cholera outbreak on record has killed over 1,000 people.

According to the World Health Organization, the death toll on Tuesday eclipsed the biggest documented outbreak, which killed 968 people between 2001 and 2002. (WHO).

Chiponda urged people to exercise extreme caution when handling the bodies of cholera victims before funerals.

“People who are dying from cholera may be washed by family members who then prepare funeral feasts… outbreaks of cholera commonly follow these feasts,” the minister said on Wednesday.

She urged people to use proper disinfection methods such as chlorine and plastic body bags.

The majority of the deaths happened in the two main cities of Lilongwe and Blantyre, where students had recently returned to school after schools were closed to try to contain the spread.

Cholera strikes the southern African country on a regular basis during the rainy season, from November to March, with deaths often hovering around 100.

However, pollution levels were unusually high during and after the holiday season in 2022.

Malawi got over three million doses of oral cholera vaccine from the UN in November 2022 to boost its immunization program, but case numbers continue to grow.

Adrian Chikumbe, a spokesman for the health ministry, told AFP that all dosages had been utilized.

He went on to say that “the fact that there is only one cholera vaccine manufacturer worldwide makes acquiring the life-saving medicine tough,” fostering rivalry between countries in need.

Cholera, which causes diarrhoea and vomiting, is caused by a bacterium that is usually spread by contaminated food or water.

According to George Jobe, director of the organization Malawi Health Equity Network, falsehoods and disinformation flowing online are exacerbating an already terrible situation.

“Most people don’t believe we have cholera,” he told AFP. Additionally, “some religions do not permit their [sick] members to go to the hospital”.

(Al Jazeera)