Nsanje District Health Office (DHO) has confirmed the death of an 18-year-old boy diagnosed with cholera on Sunday at the district hospital where four other cases were also registered.

The outbreak of cholera, an acute diarrhoeal disease that can kill within hours if left untreated, has brought fear among people in the district, especially in Traditional Authority (T/A) Nyachikadza where the four cases come from and Senior Chief Malemia which has registered one case.

Mbotwa: All cases are imported

Nsanje District Hospital spokesperson George Mbotwa said the other four cases are admitted to the hospital.

He said all cases were imported from Migaza in neighbouring Mozambique.

Said Mbotwa: “Reports show that at Migaza [in Mozambique], cholera is wreaking havoc and when quizzed, they all admitted to have travelled to the place.

“We would like to appeal to people in the district to stop visiting the area as we are arranging a cross-border meeting with our Mozambican counterparts to map the way forward.”

In an interview yesterday, T/A Nyachikadza expressed fear that the cases might escalate in the area and pledged to help enforce the DHO’s travel ban to Migaza.

He said his subjects go to Migaza to buy fish and sell other goods from Malawi.

“I will meet health committees and the area development committee to conduct awareness campaign on the outbreak in the area,” said Nyachikadza.

Meanwhile, Nsanje DHO has begun conducting awareness campaigns through a public address systems mounted on cars and Gaka and Nyanthepa community radio stations.

Nsanje last registered cholera cases in 2015.

In a separate interview yesterday, health rights activist George Jobe called for the DHO to enhance preventive measures to contain the further spread of the disease.

He said: “Ministry of Local Government through chiefs should regulate people’s movements between Nsanje and Mozambique .”

Two weeks ago, Machinga District Hospital also registered a cholera case.

According to Machinga District director of health and social services, the case was from Balaka District. The two district councils met last week to strategize on how to contain the spread of the disease.

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium vibrio cholerae.

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