Highlights:
• Over the reporting period, cholera cases have more than doubled, increasing from 36 on 1 April to 72 cases as of 10 April. One more fatality has been registered, bringing the total number of deaths to three representing a case fatality rate of 4.2 per cent, which is well above the acceptable threshold set by WHO (1%).
• An increase in the number of children admitted for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) treatment has been observed mainly in Chikwawa, Nsanje, Balaka, Chiradzulu and Phalombe in March 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. The most significant increase was noted in Chikwawa, with over 64 per cent increase in SAM admissions from 526 in March 2021 to 867 in March 2022.
• UNICEF support has enabled 69,815 children (35951 male 33,864 female) to undergo nutrition screening, from which 1,171 children with severe wasting were identified and admitted for treatment.
• UNICEF-supported water trucking and the distribution of water treatment chemicals (including door-to-door chlorination) enable 38,593 people to access safe water.
• UNICEF has also scaled up the emergency sanitation interventions in several displacement sites in affected districts, with 21,732 people benefitting from emergency latrines and bathing facilities.
Situation Overview
As the country grapples with health emergencies (COVID, Polio, Cholera), the health sector faces several challenges, including health workers’ fatigue due to multiple concurrent vaccinations and vaccine hesitancy for COVID-19 continued influx of cholera cases from Mozambique.
Over the reporting period, cholera cases have more than doubled, increasing from 36 on 1 April to 72 as of 10 April. One more fatality has been registered, bringing the total number of deaths to three representing a case fatality rate of 4.2 per cent, which is well above the acceptable threshold set by WHO (1%). Most of the cases (over 80 per cent) are from the Mozambican border, primarily due to floods displacement. While the Government of Mozambique has yet to declare cholera, it is essential to monitor the situation closely. A cross border coordination meeting of the United Nations organisations was held between Malawi and Mozambique teams on 04 April 2022 to deliberate on the situation. At the district level, Nsanje is also organising cross border coordination engagements with Mozambiquan counterparts to ensure cases are identified to minimise deaths. The country is preparing for Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) immunisation activities (reactive campaign) in Nsanje and Chikwawa districts.
The first round of Polio Supplementary Immunisation Activity (SIA) was completed between 21 to 26 March with 102 per cent coverage. Logistics and preparations are nearly completed for the second round, scheduled for 25 to 29 April. The target is to reach 2,922,095 targeted children under the age of 5 with the Oral Polio vaccine (OPV). No additional Wild Polio Virus (WPV) case has been identified since the index was reported in February 2022.
COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to drop. However, the positivity rate continues to linger at around 2 per cent. This reporting period has seen a drop in new infections by 46 per cent, and hospital admissions reduced by a further 10 per cent. As of 11 April, only 9 cases were hospitalised. Since the pandemic’s beginning, 85,705 cases and 2,628 deaths have been registered. COVID vaccination status presently stands at 908,688 fully immunised people. This is less than 10 per cent of the targeted numbers. In addition, close to 277,000 AstraZeneca vaccines are to expire in May 2022. Hence the Ministry of Health and partners have designed a “finish-a-vial” campaign to scale coverage. This campaign will take place from the week of 11 to 15 April 2022. Supplies for the campaign have been distributed to the country’s districts.
This year, Malawi has faced multiple climatic shocks and unfavourable macroeconomic conditions. In addition to the drought experienced earlier in the agricultural season, tropical storms Ana and Gombe wreaked havoc in the southern region, causing severe damage to key infrastructures including roads, schools, and health facilities and damaging crops and displacing people. With increased food prices, which will reduce financial access to food for poor households, Malawi’s food security situation from April 2022 to March 2023 is unfavourable. As per the Famine Early Warning Systems Network March 2022 Outlook, in southern Malawi, the upcoming harvest is expected to be 35 per cent below average, an additional 10 per cent lower than the initial estimation from the February Food Security Outlook. This is of great concern because of the likely increase in malnutrition. There is already an increase in the number of children admitted for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) treatment, mainly in Chikwawa, Nsanje, Balaka, Chiradzulu and Phalombe from March 2022 to the same period in 2021. The most significant increase was noted in Chikwawa, with over 64 per cent increase in SAM admissions from 526 in March 2021 to 867 in March 2022. Overall, there was a 30 per cent increase in children with severe wasting admissions at the national level in February 2022 (4,472) compared to February 2021 (3,442).
Source: UN Children’s Fund