Malwai: Typhoid outbreak hits Neno District, 5 died

With a claim of over 56 suspected Typhoid cases and five deaths with 41 confirmed cases, the Neno District in Malawi has declared of typhoid outbreak, said district health authorities, according to a report by Nyassa Times.

The symptoms exhibited fever, shivering, stomach-ache, and headache, causing a life-threatening illness by Salmonella Typhi bacteria. The disease is reportedly spread via poor public sanitation conditions, hygiene habits, and caused by flying insects after feeding on feces.

As reported by the Chakulemebra and Traditional Authority (T/A) Dambe are the hotspots said Caroline Banda, the spokesperson for Neno District Hospital.

Banda said, "we are intensifying health education on safe drinking water, hand washing, personal hygiene and food safety because the disease is associated with poor hygiene practices".She also said that the authorities are distributing chlorine in the nearby household.

Adding further, Joshua Malango, the media aide for the Health Ministry confirmed the outbreak mentioning that the authorities are conducting sensitization and community awareness campaigns, as per the report.

Urging the health ministry of the country, Maziko Matemba, the human rights activist has reportedly asked the authorities to dig into the root cause of the spread by asking for "proper survelliance".

Reportedly, the World Health Organisation (WHO) suggests Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV) as the most effective vaccine against Typhoid. If adopted, the new vaccine will be provided to children aging six months and above, as per the reports.