MALAWI’S worst cholera outbreak on record has left 990 people dead, with only one district managing to contain the disease.
The landlocked nation, prone to tropical storms and cyclones, has been battling a resurgence of the water-borne diarrheal disease since March. A previous outbreak that started in April 2001 killed 968 people in the country, according to the World Health Organisation.
While most people can be treated successfully for cholera through prompt administration of oral rehydration solution, sparsely located hospitals and delays in seeking treatment have exacerbated the problem and lead to fatalities, Health Minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda said in a statement Monday.
The rainy season, which began in November, has led to floods and displaced people who then lack access to safe water and sanitation. Malawi’s case fatality rate is 3.3%, compared with 2.1% in Haiti’s most recent cholera outbreak.
Malawi’s efforts to contain the disease are also being
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