Barely a day after Balaka district reported the first death of a man suffering from cholera, government has admitted the disease is fast spreading and four people have so far died in Lilongwe alone. However, government says it has put in place all procedures to control the cholera outbreak which is slowly sweeping across Malawi.In Zimbabwe, the outbreak has claimed 746 lives with over 14,000 new cases being reported. The disease has also been traced in Zambia and South Africa.
Though Minister of Health, Khumbo Kachali said yesterday there were no confirmed cases of cholera in government hospitals, his Director of Preventive Health Services in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Stone Kabuluzi confirmed of 36 cholera at Likuni Mission Hospital in Lilongwe out of which four people have lost their lives. "Reports from the hospital indicate that two patients died right at the hospital because they came a bit late while two others are also suspected to have died at their homes from cholera," he said.
Dr Kabuluzi however said his ministry has instituted necessary measures to contain the disease not to further spread to other parts of the country. "All District Health Officers have been alerted. We procured all the required medical supplies such as Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) and Chlorine and distributed to every health facility.
"We are ready to ensure that it does not spread further. We will identify all those diagnosed and treat and isolate them from others to avoid further spread," said Kabuluzi. He said cholera quarantine shelters were also present in all district health centers.