Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health in Chikwawa have advised persons with disabilities and their guardians to follow Cholera preventive measures.
MRCS Community Development Facilitator, Magdalena Njola said this during a meeting with District Disability Forum (DDF) members from the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Chapananga adding that the meeting was scheduled to give Cholera awareness information to persons with disabilities.
She said that a Cholera update report from the district shows that Chikwawa has registered 246 Cholera cases with six deaths and this prompted them to raise awareness among persons with disabilities as they can easily be infected by Cholera outbreak which was on the increase in the country.
Health Surveillance Assistant (HSA) from the area, Steven Tembo explained to the members the causes of Cholera which included the drinking of untreated water, improper use of toilets, and other unhygienic practices.
He continued on the signs and symptoms of Cholera including vomiting, severe diarrhea, and body water loss.
Tembo added that the only way to prevent Cholera was to follow hygienic measures like the use of toilets, washing hands with soap, using treated water with chlorine, and eating clean food.
Malawi Council for the Handicapped (MACOHA) District Rehabilitation Technician Officer, Elizabeth Khumbanyuwa said that they welcomed the initiative by MRCS as it would assist persons with disabilities to know how best to protect themselves against the disease.
She said the meeting was important as there was an information gap about the Cholera outbreak for persons with disabilities and having this meeting with DDF members would help them to know how to do some hygienic practices and help them to avoid developing negative attitudes towards the Cholera vaccine.
“We encourage parents and guardians to put more effort to take care of disabled children and adults during this outbreak,” Khumbanyuwa said.
She asked for help from other partners and Non-government Organisations (NGOs) to support people with disabilities from all the 11 Traditional Authorities (TAs) in the district as MRCS has only targeted TA Chapananga.
MRCS is working together with other stakeholders like police, child protection workers, women, Traditional Chiefs, social warfare, health sectors, courts, education sector, councilors, MRCS volunteers, and youth clubs to help in implementing its community resilience projects in TA Chapananga area.
