LILONGWE, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Malawi has launched a 5-year cholera control plan, aiming to reduce the disease's annual incidence rate by 90 percent and achieve a case fatality rate of less than 1 percent by 2030.

Dubbed the Malawi Multi-sectoral Cholera Control Plan (MMCCP), the initiative, launched on Thursday, will enhance the coordination and implementation of multi-sectoral interventions for cholera prevention and control in the country.

Malawian Health Minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda said the MMCCP is very necessary as records show that "the country has faced repeated outbreaks since the first cholera cases were reported in 1973."

From March 2022 to January 2025, Malawi recorded 61,639 cases of cholera and 1,786 cholera-related deaths. The recurrent outbreaks in this southern African country have been attributed to limited access to safe water, inadequate sanitation, and generally poor hygiene practices at the household level.

According to the minister, a series of natural disasters, including tropical storms and cyclones Ana, Gombe, Hidaya, Freddy, and Chido, also "exacerbated already existing risk factors and caused untold havoc to the already overstretched health systems in the country."

Joseph Seriki, focal person and regional coordinator for the Global Task Force on Cholera Control, described the MMCCP as a landmark document that represents a unified commitment to eradicating cholera in Malawi.

He described the recent cholera outbreaks in Malawi as a reminder for urgent and sustained action to address the root causes of the disease and strengthen preparedness and response mechanisms.

Meanwhile, Malawi has launched an oral cholera vaccination campaign in five districts, where the disease is prevalent, with a death toll of 14 and 263 recorded cases since September 2024. Enditem

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