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Bloomberg
Malawi’s worst cholera outbreak in two decades has left 643 people dead after the disease spread to all districts of the southeastern African country.
The landlocked nation, prone to tropical storms and cyclones, has been battling a resurgence of the water-borne diarrheal disease since March. The rainy season, which began in November, worsened the situation. Floods have led to the displacement of people, who often lack access to safe water and sanitation.
With the case fatality rate climbing to 3.4%, government has delayed the opening of schools for the year in both the political capital Lilongwe and in Blantyre, the nation’s centre of finance and commerce. An outbreak that started in April 2001 killed 968 people in the country, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
While most people can be treated successfully through prompt administration of oral rehydration solution, climate change and armed conflict have added to the risk of cholera outbreaks in communities that have low pre-existing immunity. In 2022, these included Haiti, Pakistan and Nigeria.
An increase in case numbers in several countries has depleted cholera vaccine stockpiles. In October, the WHO and its partners decided to limit all reactive oral cholera vaccine campaigns to a single dose.