Ministry moves to contain Chikwawa cholera outbreak

Ministry of Health and Population Services will today start administering cholera vaccine in Chikwawa District to contain the outbreak which has attacked 38 people, officials have said.

The outbreak, which resurfaced in the district on August 10, last week spread to Chikwawa Secondary School where it attacked three students.

In an interview on Thursday, the ministry’s spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe said about 200 000 people from areas around Chikwawa Boma, Ngabu and Nchalo will be vaccinated.

Said Chikumbe: “Cholera comes anytime whether during the rainy season or not as long as hygiene and sanitation is compromised. “We have intensified sensitisation campaigns aimed at promoting high levels of sanitation and hygiene among the communities so that we deal with the outbreak.”

He said the ministry is ensuring that all medical facilities are equipped with enough drugs and that chlorine is supplied to people to treat the water.

Chikwawa Secondary School head teacher Flora Kaphanthenga said the three students have now been discharged from hospital and one has returned to school while the others are still at homes.

“The outbreak was caused by a Form One student who comes from one of the affected areas. The other two are her friends who were handling her when she fell sick,” she said.

The first outbreak in the 2016/17 season was reported in Nsanje District in March and attacked 14 people. It is believed to have originated from Mozambique. n