By Patience Lunda:
The Karonga District Health Office has said cholera cases are on the rise, with four people succumbing to the disease since September 12 this year.
As of Thursday, the district recorded six new cases, pushing the number of cumulative cases to 35.
Karonga District Director of Health and Social Services David Sibale told The Daily Times that out of the four deaths, three reported late to the hospital such that one went there already dead.
Sibale attributed the cases to people’s failure to access clean water as well as the importation of the disease from neighbouring Tanzania.
He also said the health office was facing challenges such as lack of fuel for timely response.
Poor coordination with Tanzanian medical officials on contact-tracing mechanisms was cited as another hitch.
“We would like to raise more awareness but we are having resource constraints and we want to find ways of coordinating with our counterparts in Tanzania so that we should also reach out to other Malawians in the country. The major problem is the use of unsafe water in the district,” he said.
Of the six new confirmed cases, one is that of a health worker.
All the people have been admitted to hospital.
Meanwhile, health rights activist Maziko Matemba has noted that the country tends to relax when cholera cases reduce and yet such cases need to be handled as ongoing pandemics.
Matemba suggested the need to find a lasting solution to water challenges in the district.
“The issue of poor sanitation crops up such that we need to find a lasting solution to the problem because some people contract diseases due to failure to adhere to basic hygiene practices. There is, therefore, a need to intensify awareness on the same,” he said.
The cholera cases are being recorded in Mlare, Mpata and Songwe areas in the district.
Cholera has been endemic in Malawi since 1998, with seasonal outbreaks reported during the rainy season.
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