BLANTYRE, Malawi — Malawi has rolled out an oral cholera vaccination campaign in Blantyre, the country’s commercial hub, as health authorities warn of a steady rise in cases amid heavy rains and flooding that are increasing the risk of waterborne disease outbreaks across the region.
The three-day exercise, which ended on Friday, targeted high-risk neighbourhoods including the densely populated Chilomoni township, where local officials say unsafe water sources are likely driving infections. At least 17 cholera cases have been recorded in Blantyre in recent weeks, with one reported death.
District health director Gift Kawalazira said some residents turn to contaminated water from the Muluda stream when they cannot afford small fees charged for clean water from private taps, underlining how cholera outbreaks often concentrate in poorer communities with limited access to safe drinking water.
Health officials said Malawi aims to deploy 24,000 doses initially, describing the campaign as an early step to protect the most vulnerable people while calling for more supplies to broaden coverage.
Cholera, an acute diarrhoeal disease caused by Vibrio cholerae, can be fatal within hours if untreated, but is largely preventable through safe water and sanitation and is treatable with rapid rehydration. The World Health Organization estimates 1.3 million to 4 million cholera cases globally each year, causing 21,000 to 143,000 deaths.
The campaign comes as African public health agencies warn that the continent’s recent cholera burden has surged, with reported cases exceeding 300,000 last year — the worst toll in 25 years.
International responders have also cautioned that unusually severe rains and flooding can disrupt sanitation systems and cut off communities from clean water, raising the likelihood of outbreaks. Malawi experienced one of its deadliest cholera waves in 2022, when nearly 2,000 people died, as global demand strained vaccine supply.
