Cholera scare as Mchinji registers two cases
Fear has gripped communities around Made Village, Traditional Authority Mduwa in Mchinji following a cholera outbreak.
Three cases were suspected and that among the three patients, two tested positive at Mikundi Health Centre on March 23.
Confirming the development on Wednesday, Mchinji district health promotions officer Owen Chataika, said the two patients have been quarantined at the facility to avoid further spread of the disease.
“There is a male and female patient aged 49 and 20, respectively, from the same village. Three samples were sent to Community Health Sciences Unit at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe for a laboratory test.
“Yesterday a Rapid Response Team from our office went to Mikundi to assess the households where the patients come from and of course for health education to the communities,” he said.
The PRO, however, said people should not panic, assuring them that medical officials are equipped to contain the disease. .
“We are more than ready to contain the outbreak and some health personnel have gone to the village for surveillance,” he said.
It has been established that lack of safe water is a risk factor.
The two cases have broken Mchinji’s record of being a cholera-free district for four years, a situation which was attributed to strict sanitary and hygienic measures among communities.
In 2017 and 2018, cholera hit some parts of the country, including Salima, Dowa, Karonga and Lilongwe where three deaths were recorded by February last year. n
