Malawi govt warns Phalombe of cholera outbreak

Government has warned of a cholera outbreak in Phalombe following the rise in cases of districts that surround Lake Chirwa. [caption id="attachment_97341" align="alignright" width="316"] Ministry of Health spokesman, Chikumbe: Cholera threat[/caption] Ministry of Health spokesman Adrian Chikumbe said there is severe sanitation around Lake Chirwa. He said this has led to the rise of cholera cases in Machinga which now stands at 95 and 29 in Zomba, saying Phallombe is now a risk district. "There is a sanitation problem in areas around Lake Chirwa, there are no toilets. It is even not easy to get there but we are trying. We fear the cholera might reach Phalombe because it is close to the lake," said Chikumbe. He said the government is distributing chllorine, an antiseptic chemical and the government has also intensified civic education exercises in the affected areas on sanitation. Chikumbe said the government was optimistic that there will not be cholera cases in flood prone areas of Nsanje and Chikhwawa after people were given a five year immunisation against the fast killing but preventable disease.