The biggest cholera outbreak in Malawi’s history, which began in March of last year and has claimed nearly 2,000 lives, is finally being defeated. Health officials report that the nation’s death rate has been steadily declining, with no new cases or hospital admissions over the past two weeks.
The cholera outbreak has been completely contained in 21 districts, according to a report that Malawi’s health ministry released on Sunday. These include Lilongwe, which reported the most of the cases, and Chitipa, Dowa, Kasungu, Likoma, Mzimba South, Mzimba North, Mwanza, Nkhata Bay, Ntchisi, and Phalombe.
A few locations are still reporting instances, according to a statement from the minister of health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda. Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Machinga, Nsanje, Ntcheu, Salima, and Zomba are some of these places.
The district is reporting one or two cases on average per day, according to George Mbotwa, spokesman for the Nsanje district health office, down from the peak of the outbreak’s average of approximately 30 daily cases.
“We have continued to record cases because about 50 percent of Nsanje is bordered by Mozambique. And these cases are coming from across the borders,” he said. “We still have some local transmission but very minimal. And this is coming in because the adoption of hygiene behavior has been very slow.”
Mbotwa said the cross-border cases largely happen because most Mozambican nationals stay away from their country’s health facilities and seek medical assistance at Malawian hospitals. He said that efforts are being made to contain the cross-border cholera infections.
“We have done coordination meetings with Mozambican officials recently. … That’s the only activity that we have done but we find it very important because we are able to share prevention measures that we are implementing as countries,” Mbotwa said.
The first cholera case was reported in Malawi in March of last year. According to data from Malawi’s Public Health Institute, 1,761 fatalities and 58,870 total confirmed cases have been reported there.
However, the death rate in Malawi has recently been steadily declining, and for the previous two weeks, there haven’t been any new hospitalisations or cases in most areas.
The statewide immunisation program that the government and World Health Organisation launched in May of last year is among the anti-cholera initiatives that health authorities credit for the success story.
President Lazarus Chakwera also started a national cholera campaign in February of this year, during which time officials outlawed the selling of prepared food in public areas.