By George Bulombola:
Snap visits through Cholera and Covid-19 Integration media tour which was organized by UNICEF in some districts in the north, have established that most communities in Mzimba have embraced Cholera prevention strategies.
Briefing the media Friday at her home village of Elangeni in the area of Traditional Authority Mtwalo, Konesi Hamisa said that almost all households use chlorine treated water regardless that there has been no cholera case in the area.
She said that people in the agreed to abide by all Cholera prevention measures to ensure that the areas remains safe from the outbreak.
Prevention in better than cure. We first heard of Cholera outbreak in Nkhata Bay but we have not experience any case. We encourage each other to observe good hygiene and sanitation practices so that we maintain the status core, said Hamisa.
She was however quick to that that some of the people at first had problems with the smell of the chlorine treated water but as time went by, all households got used to the water.
Our main sources of water are rivers and boreholes and since its rain season we also use rain harvested from our iron roofed houses. We treat the water regardless of its source so that we are assured of our good health, she said.
Commenting on the development, Health Surveillance Assistance who is based at Mtwalo Health Centre, Loyce Msiska commended the community for adopting the use of chlorine for treating water for both consumption, bathing and cleaning kitchen utensils.
Msiska who was found delivering a heath talk to a group of women before demonstrating how chlorine is used to treat water, said some of the people in the area used to experience running stomach and other water borne diseases before adopting the interventions.
It is exciting that community members, health workers, traditional and religious leaders have put their efforts together in enforcing Cholera prevention strategies for the good health of every one, said Msiska.
Currently, government is conducting an integrated national wide Cholera and Covid-19 campaign to fight and prevent the spread of Cholera as well as to allow the population to access Covid-19 Vaccine.
The initiative is part of the Tithetse Kolera mMalawi (Lets End Cholera in Malawi) Campaign which President Lazarus Chakwera officially launched on February 13 as the disease continues to claim lives and hundreds every day.
