Child washes hands at handwashing station.
At least 1,500 people have died in one of the worst cholera outbreaks in Malawi in a generation. Up to 500 new cases are being reported daily and as many as 10 million people are at risk, around half of whom are children.
The outbreaks is Malawi’s worst in 20 years. It underscores the vital importance of the large-scale water, sanitation and hygiene work being undertaken in the country by United Purpose and Self Help Africa.
Since July 2022, we have worked with government authorities and partners to support more than 175,000 people across 15 districts, supporting efforts to strengthen existing community systems, test and treat community water sources, and provide hygiene supplies, water purification tablets and more.
Cholera is a disease that is spread through contaminated food or water and causes acute watery diarrhoea. While many people who contract the illness have mild symptoms that can be treated successfully with oral rehydration solutions. If left untreated it can kill adults and children within hours.
Poor access to clean water, toilets and hand washing facilities often cause cholera to spread, as does inadequate handwashing in communities.
The Government is working with UN agencies and local and international humanitarian partners – including Self Help Africa/United Purpose – to coordinate a cross-country response that includes awareness-raising campaigns, the building of water points and latrines and, where available, access to vaccines.
Self Help Africa and United Purpose are currently working in five cholera hot spots, supporting around 180,000 people with water, sanitation, and hygiene services. This includes repairing water points, testing and treating household water, and educating communities on safe hygiene practices.
While around 70 per cent of people in Malawi have access to safe water, just a quarter (26 per cent) have access to correctly constructed and properly maintained toilets, with only 8 per cent practicing good hygiene.
“We often see more cholera cases in the rainy season because most communities in Malawi don’t have access to safe water and many use open, shallow wells that are close to latrines,” say WASH programme manager Smorden Tomoka. “To see an outbreak of this scale during the dry season is devastating. It has exposed gaps in the water, sanitation and hygiene system here that urgently need addressing.”