Rabies kills 22 people in Mulanje

The Malawian government says 22 people have died of rabies since the confirmation an outbreak in the Mount Mulanje province since July last year.

Malawi/CIA
Malawi/CIA

Mount Mulanje Provincial Chief Veterinary Officer Taurayi Mbengo said 1 600 cases of infectious dog bites have been reported in the same period. The disease has killed 74 dogs across the province.

Mbengo said the government does not have the 17 million Kwacha required for the acquisition of sufficient vaccines to run mass treatment and immunization programmes for people, dogs and cats.

Foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Mwanza

Principal Secretary in Ministry of Agriculture Grey Phiri said the government has ordered an immediate ban on the movement of cloven-hoofed animals to contain a new outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the Mwanza area.

Phiri said the slaughter of animals has been suspended until the government completes a region-wide vaccination programme against the disease.

Malawi has just taken delivery of vaccines for the SAD 1, SAD 2 and SAD 3 FMD viral strains. The vaccines will be rolled out in a mass vaccination program due shortly.

The FMD outbreak originated from Mozambique. It has largely affected the Mwanza, Blantyre and Neno provincial government areas.  

Resurgent cholera outbreak kills 1, infects 100 in Salima

Meanwhile, a new cholera outbreak has killed 1 person and infected 100 people in the Salima area of central Malawi.

The resurgence of the disease came exactly one month after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the area cholera-free following a prolonged epidemic that began late in 2017.

Salima Hospital spokesperson Angela Nyangoni Sakwata said the death occurred on Friday last week. The disease was confirmed by a post-mortem procedure whose results were availed on Monday.

More than 100 suspected cases are receiving treatment and diagnostic testing at the Salima hospital. At least 60 people have died of cholera across Malawi since it was first detected mid-last year.