Malawi to roll out cholera vaccine after recording 12 deaths

Malawi to roll out cholera vaccine after recording 12 deaths
May 21, 2022, 7:12 pm

People of Malawi in Africa (File photo: Pixabay)

The Xinhua reported, the Malawi government will roll out the oral cholera vaccine (OCV) on Monday (May 23) in 8 targeted districts as the death toll reached 12 with over 300 cases recorded since the disease broke out in early March.

It said that the country's ministry of health announced Saturday (May 21) in its cholera situation update, saying the country has cumulatively recorded 308, including 12 deaths, and that 8 cases were currently admitted.

According to the update, the border district of Nsanje, down south, has recorded the highest case rate of 128 with 8 deaths followed by the commercial city of Blantyre which has recorded 92 cases with 2 deaths.

The update reads that "There will be oral cholera vaccination (OCV) administration in the 8 targeted districts starting from 23rd May to 27th May 2022. It listed the 8 districts including border districts of Nsanje, Chikwawa, Phalombe, Mulanje, Machinga and Mangochi.

WHO: Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Cholera remains a global threat to public health and an indicator of inequity and lack of social development.

Meanwhile, the Malawi government, through the ministry of health, is conducting health education on safe water for domestic use and personal hygiene, among others, in the affected areas.

The Malawi government has since called upon all stakeholders in the affected and targeted areas to coordinate their efforts to keep the outbreak in check.

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The update reads: "There is an urgent need to improve access to safe water and coverage on sanitation; risk communication and community engagement should be ongoing; and inter-district and cross border coordination and collaboration is very crucial in the prevention and containment of this cholera outbreak."

It said that "Oral cholera vaccine, wherever possible, should be administered to supplement the core cholera prevention and control intervention."

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The report noted that the Ministry of Health declared a cholera outbreak in Malawi on March 3 after a case was confirmed in one of the country's laboratories in the Machinga district.

Source: xinhua

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