Malawi to roll out cholera vaccine after recording 12 deaths

LILONGWE: The Malawi government will roll out the oral cholera vaccine (OCV) on Monday in 8 targeted districts as the toll reached 12 with more than 300 cases recorded since the disease broke out in early March.

The country’s Health Ministry announced on Saturday in its cholera situation update, saying the country has cumulatively recorded 308, including 12 deaths, and that eight cases were currently admitted, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the update, the border district of Nsanje, down south, has recorded the highest case rate of 128 with eight deaths followed by the commercial city of Blantyre which has recorded 92 cases with two deaths.

“There will be oral cholera vaccination (OCV) administration in the eight targeted districts starting from May 23-27, 2022,” said the update, listing the eight districts, including border districts of Nsanje, Chikwawa, Phalombe, Mulanje, Machinga and Mangochi.

Meanwhile, the Malawi government, through the Health Ministry, is conducting health education on safe water for domestic use and personal hygiene, among others, in the affected areas.

The Malawi government has since urged all stakeholders in the affected and targeted areas to coordinate their efforts to keep the outbreak in check.

“There is an urgent need to improve access to safe water and coverage on sanitation; risk communication and community engagement should be ongoing; and inter-district and cross border coordination and collaboration is very crucial in the prevention and containment of this cholera outbreak,” the update added.

“Oral cholera vaccine, wherever possible, should be administered to supplement the core cholera prevention and control intervention,” it said.

The Health Ministry declared a cholera outbreak in Malawi on March 3 after a case was confirmed in one of the country’s laboratories in the Machinga district.