Cholera cases rise to 29

The number of cholera cases in the country has risen to 29 after Nsanje District reported six more cases since Tuesday.

Ministry of Health director of preventive health services Dr. Storn Kabuluzi said in an interview yesterday that the death toll remained at two with both cases recorded in Nsanje.

Health officials have said the cases are shared between Nsanje and Machinga districts. Nsanje first recorded five cases on March 14, including one death. As of Sunday, the cases reached 10 and as of Monday, they hit 22 with one more death. On the other hand, a month ago Machinga District Hospital registered a single case, bringing the total to 23.

In an earlier interview, Kabuluzi said the situation in the Southern Region has been complicated by floods caused by Tropical Storm Ana in January this year.

He said as of Monday, 18 patients were on treatment in cholera treatment centres in Nsanje.

“Flooding in these districts means that there are challenges in issues of sanitation and hygiene. Toilets and latrines have been damaged by floods. This means that water has been contaminated in these areas,” said Kabuluzi.

However, he said government has put in place measures to prevent and control the further spread of the outbreak by intensifying surveillance, including contact tracing.

Kabuluzi further said that through the ministry, government plans to vaccinate the people in Nsanje and in seven other high-risk districts against cholera, adding that the vaccines have already been ordered and they will arrive in the country soon.

Earlier this week, Nsanje District Health Office (DHO) sounded an alarm over the rapid surge of cases, calling for fast interventions to contain the situation.

Nsanje DHO spokesperson George Mbotwa said all cases are from three traditional authorities of Ndamera, Nyachikadza and Malemia in the district.

He said the cases were reported at Ndamera Health Centre and Nsanje District Hospital.

Mbotwa said the outbreak was causing panic in the district and there was need for quick interventions to address the situation.

According to the DHO, the first five cases were imported from Migaza in Mozambique.

Nsanje DHO wants to ask the council to consider restricting travel to Mozambique.

The district last recorded cholera cases in 2015 and it has been cholera free for seven years, thanks to a vaccination exercise carried out in 2015 and 2016.