MALAWI – Malawi has received lifesaving supplies worth about US$300,000 from UNICEF to support the fight against a cholera outbreak which has killed more than 700 people, including 104 children, since the outbreak began in March of last year.
The supplies include Acute Watery Diarrhea (AWD) kits, high-performance tents, antibiotics, other medicines, and medical supplies.
UNICEF secured the supplies and chartered a special flight to Malawi with support from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.
The donation follows Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera’s December 5 declaration of a public health emergency and appeal for local and international support in the fight against the cholera outbreak.
“We will continue supporting the health ministry to scale up the Cholera response. And we fully appreciate the tireless efforts from frontline health and community workers to manage the influx of cholera cases,” Rudolf Schwenk, country representative for UNICEF in Malawi, said.
“With more than 6,269 children already affected and 100 deaths, the spread of this outbreak is a threat to the health and wellbeing of children.”
The Malawi ministry of health says the fatality rate of the outbreak is now at 3.33%, much higher than the recommended 1% global threshold.
Schools to re-open in some districts
Presidential Taskforce on Cholera & CoVID-19 assures the public that having reviewed steps which were undertaken for the short to medium and long term in the fight against the prevailing cholera outbreak – as well as the cooperation of the school authorities in Blantyre and Lilongwe and other districts – primary and secondary schools in the two Cities will open as from Tuesday, January 17, 2023.
On January 2, due to an unprecedented and continuing increase in cholera cases and deaths — especially in Blantyre and Lilongwe, the Presidential Taskforce directed the Ministry of Education to delay the opening of the second term of primary and secondary schools in the two cities.
At a press conference in Lilongwe, the Taskforce’s co-chairperson, Health Minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda said all public and private schools and other education institutions have been directed.
Chiponda emphasised that the delay to open the second term was meant to provide time and opportunity for learning institutions, various ministries and stakeholders to:
“I can confirm to Malawians that since the announcement was made an assessment of water and sanitation needs in schools in both Blantyre and Lilongwe cities and districts has taken place and that the Ministry of Education is rolling out approaches to facilitate remedial learning, including through distance learning initiatives, for learners that may miss lessons due to this or any other disasters or epidemics,” she said.
The Taskforce has reactivated the security cluster to strengthen compliance with preventive and containment measures at district levels and the Ministry of Health is working with the Office of the Attorney General to gazette preventive and containment measures for Cholera under the Public Health Act.
She further informed the public that ministries of Health, Water and Sanitation, and local councils are intensifying hygiene promotion messages, as well as distribution of chlorine for pot-to-pot chlorination at community, household and point-of-collection levels.
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