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Malawi cholera cases pass 500, eight people dead

by Reuters
Monday, 19 February 2018 09:34 GMT

Children watch as women pump water from a borehole near Malawi's capital Lilongwe, February 2, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

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Cholera cases soar in Malawi following spread of disease from Zambia.

BLANTYRE, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Cholera cases in Malawi have tripled and four more people have died, the Ministry of Health said on Monday, a month after the spread of the disease from Zambia was thought to have been contained.

Ministry of Health spokesman Joshua Malango said the number of cases had increased to 527 from 157 recorded in January, and that deaths had doubled from four to eight.

He said new cases continued to emerge in Central and Northern Malawi districts, including the administrative capital, Lilongwe where 10 new cases were recorded at the weekend.

"It's mainly due to drinking of water from contaminated, shallow sources. We've intensified chlorine spraying in the localised infection centres," he said.

(Reporting by Frank Phiri; Editing by Alison Williams)

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