Eight people die from cholera outbreak in Malawi

Eight people have died from an outbreak of cholera in southern Malawi, where flooding has increased the risk of contracting the disease, the health minister said on Tuesday.

Floods in Malawi and other southern African countries have displaced thousands of people and increased the risk of water-borne diseases through contaminated water.

"Floods are worsening the situation because in rural areas people are unable to satisfy the most basic human needs like hygiene, proper sanitation and safe drinking water," Health Minister Marjorie Ngaunje told Reuters in an interview.

"But we are trying to teach people to wash their hands, boil water and other important information to help prevent the disease."

The southern province is currently experiencing floods which have displaced over 2000 families especially in the rural areas.

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.

Ngaunje said there were 291 reported cases of cholera in the past three weeks in the southern part of Malawi, one of the poorest nations in Africa,

"Sadly we have lost eight people in the past few weeks since the outbreak but we are doing everything possible to halt its spread especially in the rural areas," she said.

ECONOMIC REFORMS

Malawi had made some progress in the fight against cholera in the past five years, said the minister.

"In (the) 2001/02 rainy season we recorded 33,546 cases with 953 deaths, in the 2003/04 season we had 959 cases but only 13 people died and in 2006/07 only six people died out of 309 reported cases," she said.

Malawi, with a population of about 13 million, spends about $13 per capita on health annually, far below the $36 recommended by the World Health Organization.

The country is enjoying a modest economic boom that has been sparked by good maize harvests, economic reforms and an increase in aid from Western nations and other international donors.

UN seeks $2.5m for Malawi

GENEVA - The United Nations children’s fund (Unicef) said today it needs 2.5 million dollars to help hundreds of thousands of women and children hit by severe floods in Malawi.

Some 200,000 women and children under five will be in need of humanitarian assistance this year as food insecurity combines with the risk of disease and underlying poverty, Unicef said.

"Over one million people are in risk of food insecurity and floods up until the next harvest in April 2008 and consequently women and children under five will become more exposed to malnutrition and infections, as well as to abuse and exploitation," the agency said in a statement.

Cholera is a major risk, with 434 cases and five deaths reported so far since November, it noted.

Unicef will also provide assistance to tackle malnutrition, poor sanitation, education, child protection and HIV/Aids issues, it said.

Heavy rains have caused widespread flooding across a huge swathe of southern Africa, with at least 70,000 people affected in neighbouring Mozambique.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said that 37,000 hectares of arable land has been lost, and 30,000 people have been evacuated to established resettlement centres.

More rain is expected over the coming week and the water level in the Zambezi river is set to rise further, Ocha spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs told journalists.

Mozambique has long been prone to flooding, with 700 people killed when torrential rains swept through the country in 2001 and 2002, whilst it was still undergoing reconstruction after decades of civil war.

ARE ENGLAND READY FOR MALAWI?

THE ENGLAND netball team are gearing up for a triple clash against World Championship rivals Malawi.

England are preparing to rise to the challenge of a three match test series against the Malawi Queens in April.

At the recent Netball World Championships in New Zealand Malawi was the Cinderella story of the competition startling their opponents with lightning-quick play and daring tactics to take fifth place overall.

They even silenced long-time rivals South Africa in a memorable play off prompting their traditional celebration – rolling on the floor at the final whistle.

“Malawi plays a very different style of netball with a lot of short sharp passes, cheeky moves and rapid footwork” Nigel Holl, England Netball’s Director told express.co.uk.

“They are afraid of no one, and will pose some interesting questions for the England squad, at the start of a new
four-year cycle of international competition, under new coach Sue Hawkins.”

Malawi’s netball team has had a huge impact on the world stage, since attending its first Commonwealth Games in 2006, where the side stopped champions New Zealand in their tracks with 67 passes in a row.


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Netball is the most popular sport for women in Malawi with players like captain Peace Chawimba and inspirational 38-year-old GA Mary Waya acting as role models for overlooked women and girls across their country, delivering health and education messages as well as playing netball.

With England finishing fourth at the same competition, the stage is set for some thrilling netball for home fans to enjoy.

And England certainly won’t be expecting an easy game. “When the two sides met at the World Championships, England’s team emerged victorious,” said Holl.

“But by the end of the competition, it was clear that Malawi had made rapid and impressive progress - as shown by their win over South Africa - and this will be no easy test series for the new England squad.”

The series begins in Sheffield on April 14, followed by Coventry April 16 and London Wembley on April 18. Tickets go on sale today.

Spokeswoman: China and Malawi relations will "develop comprehensively and rapidly"

BEIJING, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The relations between China and Malawi will "develop comprehensively and rapidly" based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence after the two countries established diplomatic ties, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu here on Tuesday.

"The establishment of the diplomatic ties has laid a sound foundation for friendly cooperation in all fields in the future," said Jiang.

The decision to establish diplomatic relations conforms with the fundamental interests of the two countries and their people, said Jiang.

She said China is willing to establish and develop friendly ties with all countries based on the one-China policy.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Malawian Minister for Presidential and Parliamentary Affairs Davis Katsonga signed a joint communique in Beijing on Dec. 28, 2007 to forge diplomatic relations.

Eight people die from cholera outbreak in Malawi

Eight people have died from an outbreak of cholera in southern Malawi, where flooding has increased the risk of contracting the disease, the health minister said on Tuesday.

Floods in Malawi and other southern African countries have displaced thousands of people and increased the risk of water-borne diseases through contaminated water.

"Floods are worsening the situation because in rural areas people are unable to satisfy the most basic human needs like hygiene, proper sanitation and safe drinking water," Health Minister Marjorie Ngaunje told Reuters in an interview.

"But we are trying to teach people to wash their hands, boil water and other important information to help prevent the disease."

The southern province is currently experiencing floods which have displaced over 2000 families especially in the rural areas.

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.

Ngaunje said there were 291 reported cases of cholera in the past three weeks in the southern part of Malawi, one of the poorest nations in Africa,

"Sadly we have lost eight people in the past few weeks since the outbreak but we are doing everything possible to halt its spread especially in the rural areas," she said.

ECONOMIC REFORMS

Malawi had made some progress in the fight against cholera in the past five years, said the minister.

"In (the) 2001/02 rainy season we recorded 33,546 cases with 953 deaths, in the 2003/04 season we had 959 cases but only 13 people died and in 2006/07 only six people died out of 309 reported cases," she said.

Malawi, with a population of about 13 million, spends about $13 per capita on health annually, far below the $36 recommended by the World Health Organization.

The country is enjoying a modest economic boom that has been sparked by good maize harvests, economic reforms and an increase in aid from Western nations and other international donors.

Malawi floods immediate needs: UNICEF responds to the needs of ...

Malawi floods immediate needs: UNICEF responds to the needs of affected children and women in the areas of health and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, education, and HIV/AIDS


1. CRITICAL ISSUES FOR CHILDREN

Over one million people are in risk of food insecurity and floods up until the next harvest in April 2008 and consequently women and children under five will become more exposed to malnutrition and infections as well as to abuse and exploitation. Underlying a situation of food shortage are two mutually reinforcing causes of insecurity, namely a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS and chronic poverty, which need to be addressed in tandem with food aid. Approximately 200,000 women and children under five will be in need of humanitarian assistance in 2008.

Recent weather forecasts by the Southern Africa Regional Climate Outlook Forum, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Global Forecasting Centre for Southern Africa all indicate an enhanced likelihood of flooding in Malawi up until March 2008. The first cases of flooding in the country for this rainy season were reported in mid-November 2007 with an estimated 1,310 affected households in Chikwawa, Nsanje, Phalombe, Machinga, Mwanza, Mangochi and Mzimba districts. In the first week of January 2008, three district areas reported flooding. These include Mzimba district in the northern region, Dedza district in the central region and Chiradzulu district in the southern region. Preliminary reports from these districts indicate that the floods have affected crop fields and 49 houses have collapsed due to heavy rainfalls and storms. District officials are currently conducting assessment on the actual damages and details will be available in the coming days and the UN stands ready to assist.

Floods have already displaced many in neighboring Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia and the main commercial corridor from central Mozambique to landlocked Malawi has been cut and is causing delays in the transportation of food and fuel destined to Malawi, resulting in shortage of petrol.

Cholera remains a major threat in rural and peri-urban areas in Malawi with recurrent outbreaks during the rainy season from November to April and is particularly a major risk factor in flood situations because of the possible and immediate break down of water and sanitation facilities. Food shortages and malnutrition have a direct effect on individual susceptibility to diseases and thus the level of a possible epidemic will be directly related to people’s access to food and safe water. So far 434 cholera cases and 5 deaths have been reported in Mulanje, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Thyolo, Chiradzulu, Nsanje and Nkhotakota districts since the current outbreak that started on the 5th of November 2007.

The last cholera season 2006/2007 ended on the week of June 17, with a total of 309 cases, 6 deaths in 12 districts countrywide and within a period of eleven months (August 2006 to June 2007). This season seems to be of major concern as more cases have already been reported within a period of two months only.

The National Food and Nutrition Surveillance system have registered deterioration in the food security and nutrition situation the last months in areas identified vulnerable by the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC). Results of an MVAC survey conducted in November 2007 indicate that more than 500,000 people will not be able to meet their food requirements until the next harvest in April 2008.

The MVAC also showed a significant raise of all nutrition indicators in the three identified livelihood zones. The Southern region continues to have the worst nutrition situation with a raise of the Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate for children under 5 from 2.7% in June 2007 to 6.1% in November 2007.

Malawi Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Taiwan

JOHANNESBURG — Malawi cut its diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the government announced on Monday, drawing a bitter response from Taiwanese officials who accused the Chinese government of luring the Malawians into its camp with $6 billion in aid and other inducements.

Malawi’s foreign minister, Joyce Banda, who made the announcement, said her nation had actually severed ties with Taiwan and set up diplomatic relations with Beijing last month; she did not say why the announcement was delayed, although it follows the landslide victory in parliamentary elections in Taiwan on Saturday for the opposition Kuomintang, which supports closer ties with China.

In Africa, only Burkina Faso, Gambia, Swaziland and Sao Tome and Principe still recognize Taiwan.

The victory for the Kuomintang, or Nationalist Party, in the Taiwanese parliamentary elections could sharply reduce the political influence of President Chen Shui-bian, who has antagonized China and frustrated the United States with his efforts to forge a strong national identity for Taiwan.

The results delivered a blow to the Democratic Progressive Party’s prospects of retaining power in the March 22 presidential election.

The Kuomintang, which once waged a civil war against the Communists on the mainland, now advocates maintaining the status quo between China and Taiwan without ruling out eventual reunification.

In the meantime, it supports closer economic and cultural ties with its neighbor — a stance that political analysts here said was likely to reduce tensions across the Taiwan Strait should the party win in March.

Taiwan Fights to Maintain Allies

GUATEMALA CITY -

Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian encouraged his allies on Monday to open trade offices in China as well as maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Chen also said he would step back from the presidential campaign after a landslide defeat in Taiwan over the weekend. On Saturday, Chen's Democratic Progressive (nyse: PGR - news - people ) Party was devastated by the Nationalists in legislative elections, winning only 27 of 113 seats.

On March 22, the DPP's Frank Hsieh goes up against Ma Ying-jeou of the Nationalists in a presidential contest that Ma is heavily favored to win.

Malawi's break is a substantial setback for the island's already fragile diplomatic standing, reducing its declared allies to 23. Most are small and impoverished nations in Latin America, Africa and the South Pacific.

Chen expressed confidence that his island's remaining allies would not switch allegiance to China, and said opening commercial offices in Beijing would not affect relations with Taiwan.

"You don't need an embassy to do business with China, just a commercial office" he said.

He added that he had met with several allies and they had "reiterated and stressed that they would strengthen diplomatic ties with Taiwan."

Taiwan uses foreign relations to press the case that it is a sovereign nation, but in recent years it has been losing allies to mainland China. The two split amid civil war in 1949.

More than 170 countries now recognize Beijing, and in recent years the communist colossus has been leveraging its growing political and diplomatic clout to increase its advantage.

Malawi is the third Taiwanese ally to defect to Beijing in the past 18 months. Chad switched sides in August 2006 and Costa Rica followed suit last June.