2 more die of cholera in Machinga

Two more people have died in Machinga following the cholera outbreak that hit the district about a fortnight ago.

Director of preventive health services in the Ministry of Health, Storn Kabuluzi, said on Tuesday that the development has since raised the death toll to three.

In an earlier statement issued on Boxing Day, the ministry said by Christmas Day, Machinga had reported 19 cases of cholera and one death while Zomba had seven cases with no death.

“Since the cholera cases were reported on 19 December this year, fifty-five cases have been reported in Machinga whereas twelve cases have been reported in Zomba. It should also be noted that these deaths have been recorded in the communities,” he said.

Kabuluzi said the ministry is hoping to register a decline in the cases soon, following various interventions it is undertaking by the ministry.

He said: “We have teams dispatched in the affected areas together with officials from their respective district health offices and the World Health Organisation [WHO] which has since embarked on awareness campaigns in the communities. We are hoping to arrest the situation soon.”

Kabuluzi also said another team has been dispatched to the Mozambican border in Dedza following reports of cholera.n