Karonga District Hospital Trains Radio Listening Clubs in Cholera-Prone Areas to Raise Awareness, Combat Outbreak

The training of the RLCs is just one of the interventions being implemented by Karonga District Hospital in an effort to reduce the cholera outbreak in the district.

Part of the training

Malawi: Cholera cases are still on the rise in some parts of the country, and Karonga District Hospital is taking action to try and combat the outbreak, writes Wezzie Mwangonde.

The hospital has trained Radio Listening Clubs (RLCs) in cholera-prone areas of the district in an effort to raise awareness about the disease in the community.

Karonga District has been particularly hard hit by cholera, with 912 confirmed cases in 12 reporting facilities, 3 new discharges from treatment centres, and 23 deaths as of January 5, 2023.

Despite the availability of health workers in the district, the hospital has implemented various interventions, including village outreach campaigns and radio programs on community radio stations, in order to combat the outbreak.

Estery Nyirenda, a spokesperson for the hospital, explained that the training targeted RLCs in cholera-prone areas along the lakeshore in the district.

Nyirenda stated, "We are committed to reducing the outbreak in the district, which is why we have several interventions in place, including involving community members like RLCs as key players in fighting against the outbreak. We have trained Ngara, Kaporo, and Malema 1 RLCs to help them understand the outbreak and raise awareness."

Samuel Mvula, the Chairperson of Malema 1 RLC, commented on the training, saying, "The training has given us the opportunity to understand some of the techniques and terminologies associated with the cholera outbreak, which will help us reach out to community members without difficulties. I am very happy and thankful to Karonga District for considering Malema 1 RLC for training on the cholera outbreak. I promise that we will continue raising awareness, especially along the lake where there are fishermen who come from other areas."

In addition to the training, Karonga District Hospital has also asked RLCs to remind community members to follow hygiene measures in order to prevent the spread of cholera, such as drinking safe water, avoiding eating cooked foods at public gatherings, and washing hands with soap.

Malema 1 RLC Chairperson, Mvula, expressed his gratitude to the health workers for providing the training, saying that previously, when they conducted community awareness campaigns, they struggled to respond to some of the questions raised by community members due to their lack of knowledge on the cholera outbreak.

The training of the RLCs is just one of the interventions being implemented by Karonga District Hospital in an effort to reduce the cholera outbreak in the district.

Nyirenda emphasized the hospital's commitment to the cause, saying, "We are committed to reducing the outbreak in the district, which is why we have several interventions in place, including involving community members like RLCs as key players in fighting against the outbreak."

In addition to training the RLCs, the hospital is also using village outreach campaigns and radio programs on community radio stations to raise awareness about the cholera outbreak and educate the community on how to prevent its spread.

The hospital has also asked the RLCs to remind community members to follow important hygiene measures, such as drinking safe water, avoiding eating cooked foods at public gatherings, and washing their hands with soap, in order to prevent the spread of cholera in their areas.