Malawi’s Health Authorities Warn Against Malaria Outbreak

Excerpt from report by Malawian MBC radio on 9 April

[Presenter] Government has said it is on high alert about a possible outbreak of Malaria in the wake of the heavy rains the country is currently receiving.

The secretary for health, Mr Chris Kang’ombe, told MBC that government has contingency plans to forestall the spread of the disease. [Passage omitted]

[Kang'ombe] Indeed in view of the heavy rains that Malawi and other countries in the region are receiving – or will receive – over this period there is a risk that we will have problems with not only outbreak of Malaria later on but also issues of diarrhoea and cholera in the region. And, as Ministry of Health, we already have plans in place.

And, as I am talking now, we have started receiving part of [the] 1.5 million mosquito nets which we had ordered through funding [the] Global Fund. And these mosquito nets will be distributed to pregnant women and children under [the age of] five for them to be protected from mosquito bites and therefore attack of Malaria.

A few months ago we received, as a country, a donation of new anti-Malarial drugs from President [George] Bush’s Malaria Initiative which is available in all our facilities including the [Christian Health Association] CHAM facilities. These drugs will be administered or given to patients free of charge.

So we are ready for that and we will be working with all other stakeholders…the NGOs working in the health sector, our development partners and indeed other government departments and ministries.[passage omitted]

Originally published by MBC radio, Blantyre, in English 1600 9 Apr 08.

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