Malawi launches a nationwide “Finish Cholera” marketing campaign

Lilongwe, 13 February 2023 – At present the Authorities of Malawi launched the nationwide Tithetse kolera (Finish Cholera) marketing campaign to curb the outbreak affecting the nation. The marketing campaign was launched by H.E President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera in Mgona, one of many capital’s cholera hotspots. Previous to the launch, the president visited a cholera therapy centre in Lilongwe space 25, which World Well being Group (WHO) helped refurbish and equip. The centre can now host as much as 80 sufferers, in contrast with 20 sufferers beforehand.

Malawi is going through its worst cholera outbreak in 20 years, with 42 422 circumstances and 1384 deaths as of 12 February 2023.

“Our function in the present day is to work collectively to cease the unfold of cholera. We have to cease this scourge as a result of it’s killing our individuals”, mentioned H.E President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera.

The marketing campaign goals to interrupt cholera transmission in all districts by the top of February 2023 and to scale back the cholera fatality price from 3.2% to under 1%, which is taken into account by WHO as an indicator of a managed cholera outbreak. To attain this aim, the marketing campaign will deal with three broad actions: growing entry to acceptable cholera prevention and therapy well being care companies; growing entry to secure water, sanitation and improved meals hygiene; and strengthening threat communication, group involvement, and social mobilization in cholera prevention and therapy.

“WHO appreciates authorities’s efforts to include the outbreak and we are going to proceed to work with companions to implement the methods which have been outlined within the Finish Cholera Marketing campaign,” mentioned Dr Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, WHO Consultant in Malawi. “WHO requires a multi-sectoral response method to strengthen general coordination for efficient technical assist, useful resource mobilization, and partnerships for cholera prevention and management.”

WHO has deployed 40 worldwide specialists to supply emergency assist to nationwide well being authorities in strengthening illness surveillance, prevention and therapy measures, group engagement and multi-sectoral coordination to enhance sanitation and supply secure water.

The Group can be supporting well being authorities to mobilize and deploy 450 well being staff for case administration. In 5 excessive burden districts WHO has helped to determine 45 oral rehydration factors, which facilitate early therapy of cholera circumstances on the group degree. As well as, group well being staff have been educated to interact households on pot-to-pot chlorination, lively case funding and well being training on hygiene and sanitation.

Cholera is an acute intestinal an infection brought on when somebody consumes meals or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio Cholerae. If left untreated, cholera can kill inside hours. Folks residing in locations with poor sanitation and unclean consuming water are most liable to getting cholera.

Following floods within the southern area of Malawi, the Ministry of Well being confirmed a cholera outbreak on 3 March 2022. Initially restricted to the flood affected areas of the southern area, the outbreak then unfold to the north of the nation in August 2022 and by the top of October 2022 all 29 districts have been affected. In consequence, the federal government declared a nationwide public well being emergency on 5 December 2022. Two oral cholera vaccination campaigns, from Might to June 2022 and November 2022 to January 2023, have allowed for the administration of almost 5 million doses in 21 districts.

Over the past week, a declining pattern in new circumstances has been reported in 23 districts however new circumstances elevated in six districts. Lilongwe, Balaka, Blantyre, Mangochi and Machinga are the 5 most high-burden cholera districts. To maintain a downward pattern in new circumstances, there’s a must scale up public well being response interventions within the important areas of case administration, threat communication and group engagement, community-based surveillance and entry to wash water sanitation and hygiene.