The United Nations and humanitarian partner organizations in Malawi have launched a Flash Appeal Monday to assist 4 million people, including 56,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, who have been hardest-hit by cholera and are at highest-risk of the disease. Local health experts say if urgent action isn't taken to scale up the response, the number of cases could double in the next few months.
The appeal - which seeks to raise US$45.3 million (€ 42.55 million) for the next five months - comes as the numbers of cholera cases and deaths in Malawi have increased exponentially since the beginning of January 2023, worsening what is already the deadliest cholera outbreak in the country’s history. The funding will support the Government-led response to contain the outbreak of cholera.
The current cholera outbreak, which started in March 2022, has affected all 29 districts of Malawi and is the largest outbreak in the country in the past two decades. The number of cases increased dramatically at the start of the rainy season in November 2022 and, as of 18 February 2023, nearly 45,000 cases had been reported, including nearly 1,450 deaths.
“Despite all the efforts taken since the first cholera case was reported in Malawi nearly one year ago, the situation remains of grave concern. Every day, the number of cases increases, and more people die,” said the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Malawi, Rebecca Adda-Dontoh.
“However, the good news is that, while cholera is highly transmissible, it is also easily treatable when cases are caught early and preventable when communities have access to clean water and good sanitation.”
The UN and its partners in Malawi urgently call on donors to fund the Flash Appeal and enable them to work swiftly in support of the Government-led response to contain the outbreak and prevent further, avoidable, loss of life.
“So much work has been done but a lot more needs to be done,” Adda-Dontoh said. “We have focused on health, we have focused on WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene). The two are very important but there are also other sectors like nutrition, protection and even logistics because we need to be able to move supplies from one point to the other.”
Health experts have warned that Malawi could record between 64,000 and 100,000 more cases of cholera within the next three months unless urgent action is taken to scale up the response.
Further information
Full text: The United Nations and Humanitarian Partners Call for $45.3 Million to Provide Life Saving Aid to People Devastated by the Cholera Outbreak in Malawi, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, press release, published February 20, 2023
https://reliefweb.int/report/malawi/united-nations-and-humanitarian-partners-call-453-million-provide-lifesaving-aid-people-devastated-cholera-outbreak-malawi