Amref Health Africa donates $40,000 worth of cholera kits and medical supplies to combat outbreak in Malawi
Malawi is currently experiencing a surge in cholera cases, with all 29 districts affected.
Malawi: Amref Health Africa has donated $40,000 worth of cholera kits and medical supplies to the Ministry of Health in Malawi to help combat an outbreak of the disease in the country.
The donation, which was made possible with financial support from Bread for the World of Germany, was officially handed over by the Country Manager for Amref Malawi, Hester Nyasulu, at the Lilongwe District Health Office.
This is the latest in a series of donations made by Amref to support the cholera response in Malawi, with the organization having donated supplies worth over $400,000 since September 2022 with the support of various donors.
Nyasulu said: ‘The medical supplies we are handing over today is in response to the call that the government of Malawi through the Ministry of Health has made requesting individuals, institutions and donors to provide more resources to ensure that the current cholera outbreak is contained in the country.’
‘You may wish to know that as Amref, we already made some donations towards the same cholera fight in September last year, but because the situation has escalated, that’s why we have identified additional resources to support the management of the outbreak. And we are thankful to the Bread for the World of Germany through Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) project for providing the funding that has enabled us to purchase these medical supplies which we believe will help to save lives.’
Acting Director of Health and Social Services for Lilongwe, Dr. Thokozani Liwewe praised Amref's donation, saying it will greatly aid in containing and managing the cholera outbreak in the district.
Dr Liwewe said: ‘We are grateful to Amref for this timely support. As a district, we have a huge need for such medical supplies, which are essential and critical in managing the outbreak. Since we registered the first case of cholera in May last year, it hasn’t been easy. We have seen an exponential rise in the number of cases which means the need for resources is so huge. So this support from Amref will go a long way to save lives.’
The $40,000 worth of cholera supplies donated by Amref Health Africa includes essential medical items such as chlorine for household water treatment, gloves, hand sanitisers, cotton wool, 20-litre buckets, intravenous fluids, giving sets, Oral Rehydration Salts, and cannula needles.
These supplies have been distributed to the districts of Lilongwe, Mangochi, Machinga, Zomba, Blantyre, and Chikwawa.
Malawi is currently experiencing a surge in cholera cases, with all 29 districts affected.
The Ministry of Health has urgently requested more support as they are running low on supplies to combat the outbreak.