Disease

Cholera in Malawi

U.N. aid agencies are increasing operations in flood-stricken Malawi in a desperate attempt to stave off a potentially large-scale cholera epidemic. The United Nations Children’s Fund says Malawi is on high alert following a cholera outbreak in southern border areas, near Mozambique.

U.N. aid workers are alarmed at the prospect of a large, nationwide outbreak of cholera in Malawi. This is because the disease is located in the southern border areas where flood victims are living in overcrowded camps, an environment in which cholera flourishes.

The last time the country experienced a large-scale outbreak was in 2009, when well over 1,000 people were infected.