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- The current climate change-induced cholera outbreak in Malawi is the worst it has been in decades.
- A one-dose vaccination policy is in place due to a global vaccine shortage.
- WHO and its partners have sourced 2.9 million vaccine doses for second round of vaccination.
Malawi is approaching its most volatile period in the fight against cholera with the onset of the rainy season in a few weeks and unpredictable weather patterns, which will result in natural disasters such as flooding due to storms and cyclones.
The country is already battling an outbreak which began in March after Tropical Storm Ana in January and Cyclone Gombe in March, which caused floods that led to the displacement of a population with low pre-existing immunity. Residents now also lack access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 6 253 cases of malaria have also been recorded since March, which included 188 deaths in 27 of the country's 29 districts. A total of 5 867 people have recovered and 198 are currently in treatment centres.
Cholera is endemic in Malawi. Cases of cholera have been reported in the country since 1998, with significant morbidity and mortality in affected populations, especially in the low-lying, flat and flood-prone southern region during the rainy season.
There's a direct link between climate change and cholera as well as malaria in Africa. The warmer it becomes, the more malaria parasites breed and thrive. But during the wet season, cholera takes centre stage.
The United Nations health agency said:
Vaccine shortages
There has been a global shortage of cholera vaccines because, like Malawi, Haiti and Syria are also facing the same predicament. Global partners have decided to switch to a single-dose vaccine approach in an attempt to help conserve stocks.
Of the 36 million doses expected to be produced in 2022, 24 million have already been shipped for preventive (17%) and reactive (83%) campaigns. The International Coordinating Group (ICG) has approved an additional eight million doses for a second round of emergency vaccinations in four countries, illustrating the vaccine's critical shortage.
According to the agency, there is no short-term solution to increase production because vaccine manufacturers are currently operating at full capacity.
Malawi vaccination programme
WHO and its partners, such as the Global Alliance of Vaccines (GAVI) and the ICG, this week made available a consignment of 2.9 million doses of oral cholera vaccines.
According to WHO, the vaccines will be used to "contain outbreaks and to limit the spread of the outbreak into new areas".
WHO and the United Nations Children's Fund are at the forefront of helping the Malawian government deal with the crises.
The vaccination programme will target adults and children in highly cholera-affected districts.
Besides the vaccination roll-out, the partners provide clinical care at selected treatment centres near affected communities, train healthcare workers, improve water treatment systems, distribute essential supplies and raise awareness of hygiene practices and prevention methods.
The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
