SITUATION ANALYSIS
Description of the crisis
Malawi has faced one of its worst cholera outbreaks in years, affecting all 29 health districts in the country. The
outbreak started in March 2022 in Machinga district and was declared a public health emergency by the State
President in December 2022.
The outbreak was exacerbated by the rainy season of 2022/2023, which increased the transmission of the waterborne
disease. The outbreak peaked in November 2022, with 4766 cases reported in that month alone. The total number of
confirmed cases and deaths as of August 2023 was 58,979 and 1,768, respectively, with a case fatality rate of 13.3%.
The Ministry of Health, with support from partners, implemented various interventions to control the outbreak,
including oral cholera vaccination (OCV) campaigns, water and sanitation improvement, case management, and social
mobilization. The OCV campaigns covered five high-risk districts, reaching 74.4% of the target population. The cholera
outbreak trend has shown a significant decline since May 2023, and as of August 2023, only three districts were still
reporting sporadic cases.
The presidential taskforce on coronavirus and cholera announced that cholera is no longer a public health emergency
as of August 2023.
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