The health situation in Africa is exacerbated by the outbreak of cholera, especially after the health authorities in Malawi indicated, Thursday, that the deaths resulting from the outbreak of cholera in the country exceeded 1,300 cases, at a time when the country located in southern Africa is fighting the most severe outbreak, according to what was reported. Reuters.
These factors prompted the World Health Organization to warn that Africa is witnessing an exponential rise in cholera cases, as the number of cases recorded on the continent in the first month of 2023 alone reached more than 30 percent of the total number recorded over the past year.
According to WHO data, an estimated 26,000 injuries and 660 deaths were reported in ten African countries from the beginning of the year to January 29. For comparison, nearly 80,000 injuries and about 1,860 deaths were recorded in 15 affected countries during the year 2022.
And the World Health Organization said that the continuation of the current accelerated rise trend will mean that the cases recorded during the current year will exceed what was documented during 2021, which is the worst year for cholera in Africa in nearly a decade, according to what was reported. United Nations News.
In addition, the organization noted that the average death rate from cholera is currently around 3 percent, far exceeding the accepted level of less than 1 percent.
According to the United Nations, Malawi has recorded the bulk of new cases and deaths, and it is facing the worst cholera outbreak in its history. Cholera has been endemic in Malawi since 1998 with seasonal outbreaks reported during the rainy season, but the current outbreak has spread into the dry season, when nearly 37,000 cases and 1,210 related deaths have been reported since March 2022. The government declared a public health emergency in Malawi. Early December, and there are fears that the outbreak will continue to worsen without strong interventions, especially with the sharp increase in cases seen over the past month.
Cholera breaks out regularly in Malawi, usually during the rainy season from November to March, but the average annual death toll is only about 100, according to Reuters.
And the Health Organization pointed out, on Thursday, that the current outbreak in Malawi is the most deadly so far, and worse than what happened in the 1998-1999 season, which claimed the lives of 860 people, and the 2001-2002 season, which claimed the lives of 968 people.
Malawi’s neighbors Mozambique and Zambia have reported cases, and in East Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are responding to an outbreak amid a severe, prolonged drought that has left millions of people in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria have also reported cases.
“We are witnessing an alarming scenario where conflict and extreme weather events exacerbate the pathogens of cholera and increase the loss of life,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
She stressed the need to increase the readiness of African countries to quickly detect cases and undertake a comprehensive and timely response, adding: “We support governments to strengthen key control measures to stop these outbreaks as quickly as possible.”
Increasing global cholera outbreaks have put significant pressure on vaccine availability, prompting the International Coordinating Group to temporarily suspend the two-dose vaccination regimen in cholera outbreak response campaigns, and to use a single-dose approach instead, according to the United Nations.
While cholera is a very virulent infection, in most cases it can be easily treated with immediate administration of oral rehydration solutions or intravenous fluids.
Moeti said: “Every cholera death is preventable. The disease is as much a health challenge as it is a developmental challenge. Investments in improved sanitation and access to safe water greatly complement public health initiatives to control and eradicate cholera.” sustainable.”
The spread of cholera on the African continent comes in the context of increasing extreme climatic phenomena, conflicts, and the ongoing outbreak of other diseases such as wild poliovirus, as well as limited financial resources and health workforce fatigue due to the response to Corona, according to the United Nations.
Cholera is spread mainly through contaminated food or water and may cause severe diarrhoea. Most of the infected suffer from minor symptoms, but if left untreated, they may lead to death within hours, according to Reuters.
It is noteworthy that the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, at the beginning of February, that the countries where the deadly cholera epidemic has spread on the continent cannot “immediately” access vaccines due to the lack of global supplies, according to the Associated Press.
Ahmed Oguil, acting director of the centers, told reporters that the authority is working with the World Health Organization and the Gavi Vaccine Alliance on ways to obtain more doses.
At the time, Oguel said, the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also collaborating with two local companies to explore the possibility of reusing their facilities to manufacture cholera vaccines. But he did not provide details about the two companies.
In an Associated Press report at the time, the World Health Organization was reported to have indicated that Haiti and Syria were also trying to contain the large-scale outbreak.
The World Health Organization said climate change could make cholera more common, as the bacteria that cause the disease can multiply more quickly in warm waters, according to the Associated Press.
