Healthcare workers move a body from a makeshift mortuary at a cholera treatment centre at Bwaila district hospital in Lilongwe in February. Photograph: Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP/Getty Imagesarch 2023 marked a year since Malawi began its battle against the worst cholera outbreak in decades.
These statistics belie a more fragile infrastructure that has been decimated by a series of tropical cyclones that have killed hundreds of people and destroyed property, including water, sanitationWater quality in Malawi has long been a concern, especially in high-density urban areas.
There is a need for the Malawi government to strive for balance and sustain functionality of water and sanitation facilities which may require a greater investment than the current 0.081% of GDP. Improving access to clean drinking water and sanitation is a sure way to improving the health of nations and preventing the spread of communicable diseases such as cholera.