Cholera Death Toll Passes 1,000 In Malawi

Category: Health Matters 

The death toll from a cholera outbreak in Malawi has passed 1,000 while cases have risen to 30,621, the highest on record in the country, Health Minister Khumbize Chiponda said on Wednesday.

Most of the deaths occurred in the two main cities of Lilongwe and Blantyre, where children recently returned to classes after schools delayed opening to try and contain the spread.

Ms Chiponda called on people to take extra care handling the bodies of cholera victims before funerals.

“People who are dying from cholera may be washed by family members who then prepare funeral feasts … Outbreaks of cholera commonly follow these feasts,” she said.

The minister called for people to use proper decontamination procedures with chlorine and plastic body bags.