MALAWI – The United Nations and its humanitarian have launched a Flash Appeal to assist 4 million people, including 56,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, who have been hardest-hit by, and are at highest-risk of, the outbreak.

UN said in a statement that the support of the Government-led response, “comes as the numbers of cholera cases and deaths in Malawi have increased exponentially since the beginning of January 2023, worsening what is already the deadliest cholera outbreak in the country’s history”.

The UN’s appeal, which various corporate companies and development partners have undertaken, calls for US$45.3 million for the next five months

“Despite all the efforts taken since the first cholera case was reported in Malawi, nearly one year ago, the situation remains of grave concern,” UN Resident Coordinator in Malawi, Rebecca Adda-Dontoh said.

“Every day, the number of cases increases, and more people die. However, the good news is that, while cholera is highly transmissible, it is also easily treatable when cases are caught early and preventable when communities have access to clean water and good sanitation.”

The statement further says the Malawi Cholera Flash Appeal, which is launched to coincide with Government’s cholera campaign, Tithetse Cholera M’Malawi, aims to address the most immediate needs of people impacted by the outbreak through an integrated response that brings together health and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

It is also to ensure communities are engaged, prepared and supported to respond to and reduce cholera and in acknowledging that the outbreak has taken a devastating toll on the hardest-hit communities, the Flash Appeal also calls for support to essential health, nutrition, education and protection services in affected and high-risk locations.

“I had the privilege of joining His Excellency President Chakwera and Honourable Minister of Health in visiting three cholera treatment centres in Lilongwe last week, where I spoke with health-care workers who requested more support to treat the endless flow of patients they are receiving,” Adda-Dontoh said.

The current cholera outbreak, which started in March 2022, has affected all 29 districts of Malawi and is the largest outbreak in the country in the past two decades — which President Chakwera describing it that “it has come with vengeance”.

The situation report says a total of 44,092 people have recovered and as of Monday evening, 651 were in treatment centres.

All the 29 health districts of the country have reported cholera cases since the outbreak first recorded in Machinga last year with the past 14 days the disease being reported in 26 districts while three have so far been controlled.

According to the UN statement, experts anticipate that, unless urgent and intensified action is taken to scale-up the response, between 64,000 and 100,000 cases could be reported in the next three months.

Thus the UN and its partners in Malawi “urgently call on donors to fund the Flash Appeal and enable them to work swiftly in support of the Government-led response to contain the outbreak and prevent further, avoidable, loss of life”.

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