Chitipa, Malawi – March 7th, 2025. by Moses Nyambalo Phiri in collaboration with Chriswell Nkoloma and Settie Kanyanda.
In a proactive approach to enhance the country’s response to public health emergencies, the Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM), with support from AMREF, conducted crucial training sessions in Karonga and Chitipa districts. These sessions focused on cholera, Mpox, and Marburg.
These activities aim to ensure that healthcare workers can effectively manage cases, strengthen surveillance and contact tracing, improve laboratory diagnostics, and educate communities on preventive measures for Mpox, Marburg, and Cholera.
From May 6th to 7th, 2025, Public Health Emergency Management Committees and District Rapid Response Teams in the two districts were refreshed on their roles and responsibilities. Subsequently, from May 8th to 14th, frontline healthcare workers, including clinicians, nurses, health surveillance assistants, laboratory staff, and data clerks, received specialized training on sample collection, clinical case management, data reporting etc.
Mr. Chriwell Nkoloma presenting on Mpox Global Overview and Malawi Situation to the Chitipa DRRT.
Officers from the national level, comprising experts from various pillars such as Case Management, Surveillance, Laboratory, IPC, Vaccination, RCCE, and Points of Entry, facilitated the PHEMC and DRRT meetings. District-level staff then conducted further orientations for healthcare workers at the facility level, with participation from the Department of Animal Health and Livestock development personnel.
The training of frontline health care workers was conducted in 5 sessions for Karonga and 4 sessions for Chitipa, with 181 and 125 participants, respectively.
Hester Mkwinda Nyasulu, Amref Country Director – Malawi.
“Karonga and Chitipa districts are the first ever districts to have their frontline health workers trained on Mpox and Marburg, so the future plan is to reach out to all the districts in Malawi with this training.” Remarks from Hester Mkwinda Nyasulu, Amref Country Director – Malawi.
National Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC), Lilongwe, Malawi, 2025. by Moses Nyambalo Phiri in collaboration with Grace Funsani, Noel Khunga, Chriswell Nkoloma and Settie Kanyanda.
The Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM) has announced a new laboratory-confirmed case of Mpox, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 71 since the first case was recorded on April 17, 2025. The latest case is a 35-year-old male farmer from Senti in the Lilongwe district. He sought medical attention at Bwaila hospital on August 13, 2025, presenting with a range of symptoms including fever, muscle ache, fatigue, chest pain, shortness of breath, sore throat, and a distinct skin rash. According to the report, the patient also has an underlying health condition.
Samples were collected on the same day as his hospital visit, and subsequent testing confirmed the Mpox infection. The report notes that the individual has no recent travel history outside of Malawi
Mpox Outbreak Report – Malawi
Malawi’s Coordinated Public Health Response
The Public Health Institute of Malawi has implemented a multi-faceted strategy using a One-Health approach to contain the outbreak, protect public health, and provide care.
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Activation
Incident Management System (IMS) Activated
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Collaboration
Multi-sectoral One-Health Surveillance
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Action
Rapid Response Teams Deployed
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Engagement
Risk Communication & Community Engagement
Cases
Malawi Mpox Outbreak
Deaths
Malawi Mpox Outbreak
From April 17 up to mid early August, 2025…
Case Breakdown and Demographics
A total of 63 confirmed Mpox cases have been recorded, with 38 males and 25 females. The age range of those affected is between 2 and 75 years.
The majority of cases are in Lilongwe, which accounts for 49 of the confirmed infections. Other affected districts include Blantyre (3), Mangochi (3), Salima (2), and one case each in Ntcheu, Likoma, Nkhatabay, Mzimba South, Ntchisi, and Karonga.
Current Status of Patients
As of the latest report, 47 patients have recovered and been discharged from care. Two cases in Lilongwe were classified as lost-to-follow-up after proving difficult to trace. Currently, 14 confirmed cases are under clinical care. One patient is in hospital isolation in Lilongwe, while the other 13 are in home isolation across Lilongwe (10), Mzimba South (1), Ntchisi (1), and Karonga (1). No deaths have been reported.
Extensive contact tracing efforts by Rapid Response Teams (RRT) have identified 839 contacts. Of these, 830 have successfully completed their 21-day monitoring period without developing symptoms and have been discharged. Six contacts (four in Lilongwe and two in Blantyre) are still under active monitoring. Notably, five of the total traced contacts later tested positive for Mpox.
“One Health Approach” – Comprehensive Public Health Response:
The Ministry of Health, through PHIM, has implemented a multi-faceted response strategy, including:
Coordination: Activation of the Incident Management System (IMS) and development of a costed Mpox Incident Action Plan (IAP).
Laboratory: PCR testing of samples, genomic sequencing of MPXV, training of lab personnel, establishment of a molecular lab in Mzuzu Central Hospital, and distribution of viral transport media (VTM).
WASH & IPC: Development of training materials and IPC guidelines, IPC orientation in high-risk districts, adaptation of WHO rapid IPC/WASH assessment checklist, and construction of temporary latrines and bathing shelters at holding areas.
Risk Communication, Community Engagement & Social Mobilization (RCCE): Dissemination of messages in local languages (Chichewa, Tumbuka, Swahili, English) through various media, orientation of Chipatala Cha Pa Foni staff, and community engagements in affected areas.
Since the outbreak began, a total of 839 contacts have been identified and are being monitored daily by healthcare workers for a period of 21 days
Surveillance: Deployment of RRTs for detailed investigations and contact tracing, enhanced surveillance at community, facility, and Points of Entry (PoE) levels, daily contact follow-up, and dissemination of case definitions and reporting tools.
Case Management: Development and distribution of case management guidelines, identification of isolation facilities, training of health workers, and development of home-based care protocols.
Logistics: Distribution of essential medicines and PPEs, and setup of treatment units at Kamuzu Central Hospital and Bwaila Hospital.
Points of Entry (PoE): Intensified surveillance and awareness campaigns for travelers at all PoEs.
Vaccination: The PMRA has approved the use of the MVA-BN vaccine, following MAITAG’s recommendation. Country vaccine request and budget development are underway.
Challenges and Recommendations:
As stated ealrier above, that a total of 839 contacts have been identified and are being monitored daily by healthcare workers for a period of 21 days. And that
As of August 4, 2025, 830 contacts have completed their monitoring period without showing symptoms. Nine contacts are still being monitored, and five of the total contacts tested positive for Mpox.
PHIM recommends continued resource mobilization, cascaded training for healthcare workers, orientation of coordination structures, surveillance data reviews, engagement of key stakeholders in contact tracing, continued screening at Dzaleka refugee camp, fast-tracking lab reagent orders, and rapid IPC/WASH assessments in remaining health facilities and private clinics.
“The first case was recorded in Lilongwe district on April 16, 2025. Later additional cases were registered. All the cases are males within the age range of 2 to 38 years: a 30-year-old from Phwetekere- Area 36, a 33-year-old from Kawale 2, 38 year-old from Chilinde, a 35 year-old from Area 36, Kandikole, an 18 year-old from Area 36, Tumbwe, Traditional Authority (TA) Tsabango, Lilongwe district, and a two year-old child from Michesi 1 village, TA Mponda, Mangochi district.Three cases from Lilongwe have recovered and have been discharged from clinical care, while the other three are still under clinical care . No death has been reported.”
Grace Fusani – Mpox Incident Manager, PHIM.
Vincent Kamforzi, Data Manager – “The affected districts are Lilongwe, Mangochi, Ntcheu, Salima, Likoma, and NkhataBay.”
What response activities have so far been undertaken ?
Cases
Malawi Mpox Outbreak
PHIM has activated its Incident Management System (IMS) for Mpox and is working with various sectors, including animal health, civic education, and disaster management, using One Health Approach
Mpox Suspect in Lilongwe
1. Surveillance.
Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) have been deployed to conduct contact tracing and investigate cases. Surveillance systems have been enhanced at the community level, health facilities, and points of entry (PoEs).
The district team are being trained on Mpox through a collaborative effort involving Amref Health Africa, the US CDC, and the World Bank, which have provided the necessary resources. Initial training, supported by Amref Health Africa, has been conducted in the Chitipa and Karonga districts. This district level training will be extended to all districts to ensure comprehensive staff preparedness covering critical areas such as Mpox Etiology and Virology, Transmission Pathways, Prevention and Control Measures, and Clinical Management etc.
Chitipa -Mpox District Training 7/May/2025.
2. Case Management.
Case management guidelines have been developed and distributed, and isolation facilities have been identified.
Kamuzu Central Hospital – Toilets Supported by Amref
Kamuzu Central Hospital – Isolation Unit Supported by WHO
Kamuzu Central Hospital – Toilets Supported by Amref
3. Labolatory.
Samples from suspected cases are being tested using PCR, and genomic sequencing of the Mpox virus is underway.
Mpox sample testing in the national laboratory
Essential medicines and PPEs have been distributed to districts and Messages about Mpox prevention are being disseminated in local languages through various channels, including posters, social media, leaflets, and audio recordings. PHIM is working to address these challenges and will continue to provide updates on the situation.
Dowa, Malawi – April 7th, 2025. by Moses Nyambalo Phiri in collaboration with Ella Chamanga, Shaibu Safali, James Jere and Settie Kanyanda.
With significant efforts to enhance the nation’s preparedness and response framework through rolling out comprehensive Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) training targeted at district level public health officials, the Public Health Instittute of Malawi (PHIM) with funding from the World Bank has rolled out the first district training sessions.
This crucial initiative stems from the recently rolled out National-PHEOC Training of Trainers (ToT) conducted weeks ago fulfilling the PHIM’s core mandate, to effectively prepare for, prevent,detect, respond to, and mitigate public health emergencies (PHEs) and threats across all levels of the Malawian health system, now focusing on district level. The training program has been designed to strengthen coordination and operational efficiency within the multi-sectoral multi-disciplinary response architecture managed by the PHEOC.
In an era where public health threats, from infectious disease outbreaks like Cholera, Mpox and Measles arising from potential impacts of climate change, demand robust and rapid responses, the presence of highly skilled Health Care Workers (HCWs) at the district level is paramount. All twenty nine districts often represent the front lines of public health surveillance and initial response. Therefore, according to this critical need, PHIM has launched the first phase of this districts-focused training program, initially encompassing officers from seven key districts: Lilongwe, Dedza, Salima, Karonga, Nkhotakota, Balaka, and Phalombe.
Group work during training session in Mponela.
The District-PHEOC serves as the central nervous system for coordinating all activities during a public health emergency within the district. It functions as a hub for information gathering and analysis, resource mobilization and allocation, strategic decision-making, and communication among various responding agencies supporting the district, including government MDAs, NGOs, and international partners.
By equipping district officers who are often the first responders and key data sources with indepth knowledge of PHEOC protocols, Incident Management Systems (IMS), risk communication strategies, and data reporting mechanisms, PHIM aims to significantly improve interagency synergy and streamline communication channels, clearer roles and responsibilities, and ultimately, a more timely, coherent, and effective response to diverse public health threats, ranging from disease outbreaks to natural disasters with health consequences.
Dr. Mike Chisema, EPI Manager.Dr. Chitsa Banda, Deputy Director Rensiponsible for Research Division.
dr. Mike chisema and dr. chitsa Banda lecturing.
Participants in the training include District Environmental Health Officers, Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs), DODMA officers, clinicians, and other key personnel involved in public health surveillance and response. The curriculum covers essential modules on the PHEOC structure and functions, roles within an Incident Management System, emergency coordination principles, information management, and effective communication during crises.
Dr. Annie Chauma Mwale-PHIM, led the team of facilitators.
This training represents a vital investment in our human resources available at the district, stated Dr. Annie Chauma Mwale – PHIM. She said “Empowering our district teams with standardized PHEOC operational skills is fundamental to building a truly resilient national public health system. When the districts are strong and coordinated, the entire national response mechanism functions more effectively, safeguarding the health and well-being of the nation.”
PHIM plans to extend this vital training to cover all districts in subsequent phases, ensuring nationwide competency in PHEOC operations. This first phase of District – PHEOC training portrays PHIM’s unwavering commitment to proactively strengthening Malawi’s health security architecture. The skills and knowledge imparted during these sessions are expected to be instrumental in ensuring a more coordinated, rapid, and impactful response to any future public health challenges the nation may face.
