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  • IDSR Epidemiological Bulletin – Week 43.

    IDSR Epidemiological Bulletin – Week 43.

    IDSR Bulletin Dashboard – Week 43, 2026

    Weekly IDSR Bulletin

    Epidemiological Week 43 (19th – 25th October, 2026)

    Status: Official Release Reporting Rate: 97% Completeness Published: 26th October 2026

    Editorial Team & Contributors

    Dr. Matthew Kagoli
    Mrs. Flora Dimba
    Austin Zgambo
    Noel Khunga
    James Jere
    Sikhona Chipeta
    Henderson Parker Banda
    Mercy Mwalwanda
    MALARIA CASES
    23,292
    2 Inpatient Fatalities
    COMPLETENESS
    97.0%
    Target ≥ 80% (+3% Rise)
    TIMELINESS
    95.0%
    Target ≥ 80% (+2% Rise)
    BLOODY DIARRHOEA
    1,025
    0 Deaths
    MEASLES ALERTS
    36
    30 Epi-Linked Cases
    EBS SIGNALS
    98
    48 Verified Events

    I. Main Epidemiological Feature: Disease & Event Burden in Epi Week 43

    National Feature Epi Week 43 Summary

    Reporting Completeness Surges to 97% as EBS Signals Nearly Double to 98

    In Epidemiological Week 43, Malaria recorded 23,292 cases nationwide with 2 deaths. Public health surveillance also registered 36 new Measles alerts (30 epi-linked), 1,025 cases of bloody diarrhoea, 156 Typhoid fever cases (1 death), 76 AEFI cases, 53 SARI cases, 7 Maternal deaths, 6 Meningococcal meningitis cases, and 2 AFP cases.

    • Malaria Burden: Total reported cases stood at 23,292 with clinical outcomes resulting in 2 fatalities in Salima DHO and Mangochi DHO.
    • Measles & Vaccine-Preventable Diseases: 36 new alerts reported with 30 epi-linked cases. Nsanje has reached 529 cumulative cases and Balaka 494 cases since early 2026.
    • Enteric & Respiratory Burden: Typhoid fever increased to 156 cases (1 death in Mchinji DHO), while Bloody Diarrhoea rose to 1,025 cases across reporting centers.
    Strategic Action Directives

    Enteric Disease Control: Strengthen WASH measures and clinical case management for Typhoid and Bloody Diarrhoea hotspots in Mchinji and surrounding districts.

    Signal Verification & Outbreak Control: DRRTs must urgently investigate and verify community signals, while EPI teams accelerate targeted measles vaccination outreach in Nsanje, Balaka, and Chikwawa.

    Priority Disease & Condition Alerts (Epi Week 43)

    Distribution of reported priority conditions and outpatient/inpatient alerts nationwide

    Highest Alert Volume Bloody Diarrhoea (1,025)
    Vaccine Alerts AEFI (76) / Measles (36)
    Severe Fatalities Maternal (7) / Malaria (2) / Typhoid (1)

    II. Health System Reporting Performance

    1. National Reporting Trend (W28 – W43)

    Analysis & Insights

    Analytics: National IDSR reporting performance rebounded sharply in Epidemiological Week 43, with completeness increasing from 94% to 97% and timeliness advancing from 93% to 95% on the One Health Surveillance Platform (OHSP).

    Insights: This performance improvement underscores robust health facility compliance nationwide and successful routine supervisory follow-up across reporting sites.

    Recommendations: Maintain active platform support to solidify performance gains well above the 80% national minimum target.

    2. Zonal Reporting Rates (Week 43)

    Analysis & Insights

    Analytics: All health zones and Central Hospitals exceeded the 80% national target. Central Hospitals achieved 100% on both metrics. Central East, South East, and South West scored 98% completeness with timeliness between 96%-98%. North achieved 93% completeness and 93% timeliness, while Central West logged 91% completeness and 90% timeliness.

    Insights: Performance across all 6 reporting zones remains remarkably uniform and above key surveillance benchmarks.

    Recommendations: Focus targeted follow-ups on specific underperforming district sites within North and Central West zones.

    III. Event-Based Surveillance (EBS)

    3. Community EBS Signal Verification Status

    Analysis & Insights

    Analytics: In Epidemiological Week 43, 98 community signals were reported across 6 districts. Verification confirmed 48 signals (49%) as true public health events, 49 signals (50%) were unverified, and 1 signal (1%) was discarded.

    Insights: Clustered illness symptoms and severe watery diarrhoea with dehydration made up the vast majority of community reports (63 of 98 signals).

    Recommendations: District Rapid Response Teams (DRRTs) must prioritize unverified signals in high-density districts to ensure zero undetected outbreaks.

    4. Verified EBS Signals by Risk Level

    Analysis & Insights

    Analytics: Formal risk assessments were conducted for 46 of the 48 verified community events. Results show 27 events (59%) classified as High Risk, 10 (22%) as Very High Risk, 4 (8%) as Moderate Risk, and 5 (11%) as Low Risk.

    Insights: An overwhelming 81% of assessed events were categorized as High or Very High Risk, pointing to substantial public health threats in reporting communities.

    Recommendations: Deploy emergency response teams immediately to all High and Very High risk event locations.

    IV. Epidemic Prone & Priority Conditions Performance

    5. Measles Outbreak: Cumulative Cases in Key Hotspots

    Analysis & Insights

    Analytics: In Epidemiological Week 43, 30 new epi-linked cases were reported from Dedza, Balaka, Chikwawa, and Mulanje. Cumulative outbreak totals show Nsanje with 529 cases (84 lab-confirmed), Balaka with 494 cases (74 lab-confirmed), Chikwawa with 387 cases (38 lab-confirmed), and Dedza with 378 cases (13 lab-confirmed).

    Insights: While transmission in several health facility catchments has been declared contained after 42 days of zero cases, active clusters persist in Golomoti, Ngabu, and Ndamera.

    Recommendations: EPI teams must sustain high-coverage routine immunization catch-up activities and field investigations in active hotspot catchments.

    6. Reporting Performance by Site (Underperforming Units)

    Analysis & Insights

    Analytics: Out of 33 reporting sites, 30 (90%) reached the national ≥80% benchmark for completeness and timeliness. Three DHOs failed to meet targets: Likoma DHO (77% completeness, 71% timeliness), Karonga DHO (83% completeness, 70% timeliness), and Mulanje DHO (77% completeness, 77% timeliness).

    Insights: Balaka DHO successfully recovered compliance to 100% in Week 43, while Likoma, Karonga, and Mulanje experienced data submission lags.

    Recommendations: Zonal epidemiology focal points must directly mentor data entry teams in Likoma, Karonga, and Mulanje to resolve OHSP uploading issues.

    V. Targeted District & Programmatic Recommendations

    1. District Reporting Compliance

    Likoma, Karonga, and Mulanje DHOs must immediately resolve internal data upload backlogs to restore weekly reporting timeliness and completeness to the ≥80% national benchmark on OHSP.

    2. Enteric & Malaria Case Management

    All District Health Offices must enforce strict clinical protocols for severe malaria and enteric fevers (Typhoid/Bloody Diarrhoea) while maintaining adequate stocks of mRDTs, parenteral Artesunate, and IV fluids.

    3. Outbreak Surveillance & EPI Response

    DRRTs and EPI must conduct rapid field risk assessments for the 48 verified community signals and intensify routine childhood immunization catch-up campaigns in persistent measles transmission zones.

    Official IDSR Documentation

    Access the full official PDF bulletin for Epidemiological Week 43, 2026, including detailed district-level performance tables and annexes.

    PUBLISHED BY

    Moses Nyambalo Phiri

    Ministry of Health, Lilongwe, Malawi

  • IDSR Epidemiological Bulletin – Week 42.

    IDSR Epidemiological Bulletin – Week 42.

    IDSR Bulletin Dashboard – Week 42, 2026

    Weekly IDSR Bulletin

    Epidemiological Week 42 (12th – 18th October, 2026)

    Status: Official Release Reporting Rate: 94% Completeness Published: 25th October 2026

    Editorial Team & Contributors

    Dr. Matthew Kagoli
    Mrs. Flora Dimba
    Austin Zgambo
    Noel Khunga
    James Jere
    Sikhona Chipeta
    Deborah Msaka
    Lameck Mughogho
    MALARIA CASES
    24,027
    2 Severe Fatalities
    COMPLETENESS
    94.0%
    Target ≥ 80% (Stable)
    TIMELINESS
    93.0%
    Target ≥ 80% (Stable)
    BLOODY DIARRHOEA
    974
    0 Deaths
    MEASLES ALERTS
    34
    34 Epi-Linked Cases
    EBS SIGNALS
    50
    29 Verified Events

    I. Main Epidemiological Feature: Disease & Event Burden in Epi Week 42

    National Feature Epi Week 42 Summary

    Malaria Reaches 24,027 Cases with 2 Deaths as EBS Signals Rise to 50

    In Epidemiological Week 42, Malaria generated 24,027 cases nationwide alongside 2 fatalities. Public health surveillance also logged 34 new Measles alerts, 974 cases of bloody diarrhoea, 100 SARI cases, 64 Typhoid cases, 56 AEFI cases, 9 Maternal deaths, 6 Meningococcal meningitis cases, and 1 Neonatal tetanus case.

    • Malaria Burden: Total reported cases expanded to 24,027 with clinical outcomes resulting in 2 fatalities in Likoma and Balaka.
    • Measles & Vaccine-Preventable Diseases: 34 new alerts/epi-linked cases reported in W42. Nsanje has accumulated 523 cumulative cases and Balaka 494 cases since early 2026.
    • Respiratory & Diarrhoeal Conditions: Severe Acute Respiratory Infections recorded 100 cases (0 deaths), while Diarrhoea with blood recorded 974 cases (0 deaths).
    Strategic Action Directives

    Case Management & Triage: Health facilities must reinforce early severe malaria clinical protocols and ensure continuous supply of mRDTs, parenteral Artesunate, and ACTs.

    Immunization Coverage: EPI teams must target persistent localized measles transmission pockets in Nsanje, Balaka, Dedza, and Chikwawa districts.

    Priority Disease & Condition Alerts (Epi Week 42)

    Distribution of reported priority conditions and outpatient/inpatient alerts nationwide

    Highest Alert Volume Bloody Diarrhoea (974)
    Vaccine Alerts AEFI (56) / Measles (34)
    Severe Fatalities Maternal (9) / Malaria (2)

    II. Health System Reporting Performance

    1. National Reporting Trend (W28 – W42)

    Analysis & Insights

    Analytics: National IDSR reporting recorded a slight decrease in Epidemiological Week 42, with completeness dropping from 95% to 94% and timeliness decreasing from 95% to 93% on the One Health Surveillance Platform (OHSP).

    Insights: Despite minor fluctuations, both metrics remain significantly above the minimum national benchmark of 80%, demonstrating sustained resilience in weekly data collection.

    Recommendations: Active supervisory tracking and system support must be maintained across all DHOs to prevent further dips and maintain target compliance.

    2. Zonal Reporting Rates (Week 42)

    Analysis & Insights

    Analytics: All health zones and Central Hospitals met or exceeded the 80% national reporting threshold. Central Hospitals and South West achieved 100% completeness and timeliness. South East logged 98% completeness and 100% timeliness, Central East scored 95% completeness and 100% timeliness, Central West achieved 91% completeness and 100% timeliness, while North achieved 82% completeness and 100% timeliness.

    Insights: Timeliness reached 100% across all health zones and referral central hospitals during Week 42.

    Recommendations: Focus support on Northern Zone DHOs to elevate completeness closer to the 95%+ standard achieved by neighboring zones.

    III. Event-Based Surveillance (EBS)

    3. Community EBS Signal Verification Status

    Analysis & Insights

    Analytics: During Epidemiological Week 42, a total of 50 EBS signals were submitted from 10 reporting districts. Verification efforts confirmed 29 signals (58%) as true public health events, while 20 signals (40%) were unverified and 1 signal (2%) was discarded.

    Insights: Signals concerning children with sudden limb weakness or fever and skin rash accounted for 18 of the 50 community signals (9 confirmed as events), indicating high alert levels for vaccine-preventable diseases.

    Recommendations: District Rapid Response Teams (DRRTs) must prioritize rapid field investigations and documented risk management plans for all verified events.

    4. Verified EBS Signals by Risk Level

    Analysis & Insights

    Analytics: Comprehensive risk assessments were conducted for all 29 verified community events. Results show 5 events (17%) categorized as Very High Risk, 5 (17%) as High Risk, 8 (28%) as Moderate Risk, and 11 (38%) as Low Risk.

    Insights: Over one-third (34%) of verified community events present High or Very High public health risk, requiring immediate response protocols.

    Recommendations: Ensure rapid DRRT deployment to the 10 High and Very High risk event locations to mitigate community transmission risks.

    IV. Epidemic Prone & Priority Conditions Performance

    5. Measles Outbreak: Cumulative Cases in Key Hotspots

    Analysis & Insights

    Analytics: In Epidemiological Week 42, 34 new epi-linked cases were recorded. Cumulative outbreak totals since early 2026 stand at Nsanje with 523 cases (84 lab-confirmed), Balaka with 494 cases (74 lab-confirmed), Chikwawa with 387 cases (38 lab-confirmed), and Dedza with 375 cases (13 lab-confirmed).

    Insights: Localized measles transmission continues in catchment areas like Golomoti (Dedza), Ngabu (Chikwawa), and Ndamera (Nsanje), whereas outbreaks in several Balaka and Machinga health facilities have been contained.

    Recommendations: Intensify routine childhood immunization coverage and supplementary immunization campaigns targeting susceptible children under 15 years.

    6. Reporting Performance by Site (Underperforming Units)

    Analysis & Insights

    Analytics: Out of 33 reporting sites, 30 (90%) achieved the national target of ≥80% for both completeness and timeliness. Three DHOs failed to meet target benchmarks: Machinga DHO and Karonga DHO failed timeliness targets, while Balaka DHO failed on both completeness (78%) and timeliness (78%).

    Insights: Dowa DHO successfully recovered performance above the 80% threshold in Week 42, leaving Machinga, Karonga, and Balaka as key priority intervention sites.

    Recommendations: Zonal epidemiology focal persons should directly assist Balaka, Karonga, and Machinga DHOs to resolve electronic reporting delays on OHSP.

    V. Targeted District & Programmatic Recommendations

    1. District Reporting Compliance

    Karonga, Balaka, and Machinga DHOs must urgently streamline data upload workflows to ensure weekly completeness and timeliness return to the ≥80% national benchmark on OHSP.

    2. Severe Malaria Management

    All District Health Offices must enforce strict clinical triage and severe malaria management to prevent fatalities and maintain stock security for mRDTs, parenteral Artesunate, and ACTs.

    3. Outbreak Surveillance & EPI Response

    DRRTs and EPI must conduct immediate risk assessments for verified community signals and strengthen routine immunization and outreach strategies to halt localized measles transmission.

    Official IDSR Documentation

    Access the full official PDF bulletin for Epidemiological Week 42, 2026, including detailed district-level performance tables and annexes.

    PUBLISHED BY

    Moses Nyambalo Phiri

    Ministry of Health, Lilongwe, Malawi

  • IDSR Epidemiological Bulletin – Week 41.

    IDSR Epidemiological Bulletin – Week 41.

    IDSR Bulletin Dashboard – Week 41, 2026

    Weekly IDSR Bulletin

    Epidemiological Week 41 (5th – 11th October, 2026)

    Status: Official Release Reporting Rate: 95% Maintained Published: 18th October 2026

    Editorial Team & Contributors

    Dr. Matthew Kagoli
    Mrs. Flora Dimba
    Austin Zgambo
    Noel Khunga
    James Jere
    Sikhona Chipeta
    Lusungu Banda
    Vincent Kamforzi
    MALARIA CASES
    19,823
    12 Inpatient Fatalities
    COMPLETENESS
    95.0%
    Target ≥ 80% (Stable)
    TIMELINESS
    95.0%
    Target ≥ 80% (Stable)
    BLOODY DIARRHOEA
    740
    0 Deaths
    MEASLES ALERTS
    53
    13 Epi-Linked Cases
    EBS SIGNALS
    30
    14 Verified Events

    I. Main Epidemiological Feature: Disease & Event Burden in Epi Week 41

    National Feature Epi Week 41 Summary

    Malaria Reaches 19,823 Cases with 12 Deaths as Measles Alerts Rise to 53

    In Epidemiological Week 41, Malaria generated 19,823 cases nationwide alongside 12 fatalities. Public health surveillance also logged 53 new Measles alerts, 740 cases of bloody diarrhoea, 84 AEFI cases, 80 Typhoid cases, 77 SARI cases (2 deaths), 8 Meningococcal meningitis cases, 6 Maternal deaths, and 2 AFP cases.

    • Malaria Burden: Total reported cases increased slightly to 19,823 with severe malaria clinical outcomes resulting in 12 inpatient fatalities.
    • Measles & Vaccine-Preventable Diseases: 53 new alerts reported in W41 with 13 epi-linked cases. Nsanje has accumulated 523 cumulative cases and Balaka 494 cases since January 2026.
    • Respiratory & Meningeal Conditions: Severe Acute Respiratory Infections recorded 77 cases with 2 deaths, while Meningococcal meningitis recorded 8 cases with 0 deaths.
    Strategic Action Directives

    Case Management & Triage: Health facilities must reinforce early severe malaria clinical protocols and ensure continuous supply of mRDTs, parenteral Artesunate, and ACTs.

    Immunization Coverage: EPI teams must target persistent localized measles transmission pockets in Nsanje, Balaka, and neighboring outbreak districts.

    Priority Disease & Condition Alerts (Epi Week 41)

    Distribution of reported priority conditions and outpatient/inpatient alerts nationwide

    Highest Alert Volume Bloody Diarrhoea (740)
    Vaccine Alerts AEFI (84) / Measles (53)
    Severe Fatalities Malaria (12) / SARI (2) / Maternal (6)

    II. Health System Reporting Performance

    1. National Reporting Trend (W28 – W41)

    Analysis & Insights

    Analytics: National IDSR reporting maintained its strong performance trajectory in Week 41, holding steady at 95% for both completeness and timeliness on the One Health Surveillance Platform (OHSP).

    Insights: Following the temporary drop to 90% in Week 39, the prompt recovery to 95% in Week 40 was successfully sustained into Week 41, reflecting effective supervisory tracking across reporting units.

    Recommendations: Maintain active routine monitoring and system support on OHSP to sustain performance above the 80% national threshold.

    2. Zonal Reporting Rates (Week 41)

    Analysis & Insights

    Analytics: All health zones and Central Hospitals met or exceeded the 80% national reporting threshold. Central Hospitals and South West achieved 100% completeness and timeliness. South East scored 97% completeness and 97% timeliness, Central East and North achieved 95% on both, and Central West logged 95% completeness and 92% timeliness.

    Insights: Central Hospitals maintained their full performance rebound at 100%, proving that reporting bottlenecks at referral level remain resolved.

    Recommendations: Continue providing support to Central West zone to lift timeliness closer to the 95%+ standard of other zones.

    III. Event-Based Surveillance (EBS)

    3. Community EBS Signal Verification Status

    Analysis & Insights

    Analytics: During Epidemiological Week 41, 30 EBS signals were submitted from 8 reporting districts. Verification efforts by District Rapid Response Teams (DRRTs) confirmed 14 signals (46.7%) as true public health events, while 16 signals (53.3%) were unverified.

    Insights: Signals involving children with sudden limb weakness (AFP) or fever and skin rash accounted for 17 of the 30 reported community signals (8 verified, 9 unverified), reflecting high community vigilance for polio and measles.

    Recommendations: DRRTs should ensure all verified community events receive rapid field investigations and documented risk management plans.

    4. Verified EBS Signals by Risk Level

    Analysis & Insights

    Analytics: Risk assessments were conducted for all 14 verified community events. Results show 5 events (36%) classified as High Risk, 3 (21%) as Moderate Risk, and 6 (43%) as Low Risk.

    Insights: With over a third (36%) of confirmed community events assessed as High Risk, active field deployment remains necessary to manage localized health hazards.

    Recommendations: Prioritize immediate DRRT deployment to the 5 high-risk event sites while establishing routine monitoring for moderate and low risk alerts.

    IV. Epidemic Prone & Priority Conditions Performance

    5. Measles Outbreak: Cumulative Cases in Key Hotspots

    Analysis & Insights

    Analytics: In Epidemiological Week 41, 13 new epi-linked cases were recorded. Cumulative outbreak totals show Nsanje with 523 cases (84 lab-confirmed) and Balaka with 494 cases (74 lab-confirmed) since January 1, 2026.

    Insights: Sporadic measles transmission persists across localized districts including Nsanje, Balaka, Dedza, Chikwawa, Mchinji, Machinga, Zomba, and Mulanje.

    Recommendations: EPI teams must maintain targeted supplementary immunization activities in affected catchments to prevent wider pediatric transmission.

    6. Reporting Performance by Site (Underperforming Units)

    Analysis & Insights

    Analytics: Out of 33 reporting sites, 29 (88%) achieved the national target of ≥80% for completeness and timeliness. Four DHOs failed to hit the target for both indicators: Machinga DHO, Karonga DHO, Balaka DHO, and Dowa DHO.

    Insights: While overall national reporting performance remains strong at 95%, persistent bottlenecks in Machinga, Karonga, Balaka, and Dowa DHOs prevent full national compliance.

    Recommendations: Zonal surveillance focal persons must work directly with Machinga, Karonga, Balaka, and Dowa DHOs to resolve data upload disruptions on OHSP.

    V. Targeted District & Programmatic Recommendations

    1. District Reporting Compliance

    Machinga, Karonga, Balaka, and Dowa DHOs must urgently address internal reporting bottlenecks to ensure weekly completeness and timeliness return to the ≥80% national benchmark on OHSP.

    2. Severe Malaria Management

    All District Health Offices must maintain rigorous triage and severe case protocols for malaria to address the 12 inpatient fatalities recorded in Week 41 and ensure uninterrupted supplies of mRDTs and parenteral Artesunate.

    3. Outbreak Surveillance & EPI Response

    DRRTs and EPI must accelerate rapid field investigations for verified community signals and conduct routine childhood immunization catch-up activities in active measles hotspot districts like Nsanje and Balaka.

    Official IDSR Documentation

    Access the full official PDF bulletin for Epidemiological Week 41, 2026, including detailed district-level performance tables and annexes.

    PUBLISHED BY

    Moses Nyambalo Phiri

    Ministry of Health, Lilongwe, Malawi