Cholera outbreak in Malawi kills one, 16 sick

At least one person has died from cholera and 16 others have contracted the water-borne disease in Blantyre, Malawi's main commercial city, health authorities said on Tuesday.

All 17 cases were registered over the past week in Bangwe, one of Blantyre's crowded townships.

Chimota Phiri, the deputy district health officer, said the disease risked spreading further due to persistent water shortages that have hit the city as a result of breakdowns at the state-run water utility.

With no safe supply of water, many Malawians may resort to drinking water from unpurified wells. Cholera is an extreme diarrhoeal disease caused by contaminated water or food.

"We did not expect to record so many cholera cases now as the rainy season has not yet reached its peak and we fear the current water problems could worsen the situation," Phiri said.

Cholera spreads mostly during the rainy season due to floods contaminating water systems. At its most acute, the disease causes sudden watery diarrhoea that can lead to death by severe dehydration and kidney failure.

Prolonged water shortages in Blantyre last week prompted Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika to suspend the chief executive officer of the Blantyre Water Board pending an investigation.

The water board has blamed the problems on a faulty transformer.