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Tag: E&Surveillance

  • Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) bulletin for Epidemiological Week 37 (September 8-14, 2025).

    Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) bulletin for Epidemiological Week 37 (September 8-14, 2025).

    Malawi Mpox Outbreak Update

    Malawi’s Latest Health Bulletin Confirms 14 New Mpox Cases

    Weekly IDSR Report Highlights Ongoing Public Health Surveillance

    Published by the Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM) on September 19, 2025.

    A new report from the Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM) provides a detailed look into the country’s public health landscape, with a significant focus on the ongoing Mpox outbreak. The latest Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) bulletin for Epidemiological Week 37 (September 8-14, 2025) confirms an additional 14 new Mpox cases, bringing the cumulative total to 110.

    Public Health Events in Epi-week 37

    Pictorial graph of notifiable diseases/conditions alerts in Malawi during Epi-week 37

    Notifiable diseases/conditions alerts reported in Epi-week 37 in Malawi (Data accessed on 17 September 2025)

    Outbreak at a Glance

    According to the report, the outbreak continues to be actively monitored, with key metrics updated for the latest week. As of September 14, 2025, the breakdown of cases is as follows:

    • Total Confirmed Cases: 110 laboratory-confirmed cases in Malawi, plus 2 cross-border cases.
    • New Cases: 13 new cases were recorded during Epidemiological Week 37.
    • Patient Status: 84 individuals have been discharged, 23 are currently in isolation, and 2 are lost to follow-up.
    • Deaths: One death has been confirmed since the start of the outbreak, with no new deaths reported in Week 37.
    • Contact Tracing: A total of 1,167 contacts have been identified and are being monitored.

    Affected Districts and Demographics

    The age range of confirmed cases spans from 2 to 75 years. The outbreak has now been reported in 12 districts across the country, highlighting its widespread nature. The districts include Lilongwe, Mangochi, Ntcheu, Salima, Likoma, Nkhatabay, Blantyre, Mzimba South, Ntchisi, Karonga, Zomba, and Chitipa.

    Public Health Surveillance and Response

    The Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM) is mandated to protect public health through robust surveillance, early warning, and outbreak containment. The IDSR system’s overall reporting stood at an impressive 90.7% for completeness and 83.3% for timeliness on the One Health Surveillance Platform (OHSP) during this reporting period.

    In response to the Mpox outbreak and other public health events, a comprehensive multi-sectoral approach has been implemented. Key measures include:

    • Incident Management System (IMS): The IMS has been activated to coordinate all response efforts.
    • Rapid Response Teams: Functional Rapid Response Teams (DRRTs) have been deployed at both national and district levels. These teams are actively engaged in collecting blister swab samples, conducting contact tracing, and following up on cases.
    • Multi-sectoral Collaboration: A “One Health” approach is being utilized, involving the collaboration of both human and animal health workers at national and district levels to enhance disease surveillance.
    • Training and Capacity Building: PHIM has been training the National Emergency Medical Team, surge teams, and frontline health workers to ensure a skilled and ready response force.
    • Risk Communication: The Ministry of Health is actively engaged in risk communication and community engagement activities to educate the public on disease prevention and containment.

    In addition to Mpox, the surveillance system also detected other public health events in Epidemiological Week 37:

    • Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI): 42 cases, 3 deaths
    • Diarrhoea with blood: 718 cases
    • Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI): 83 cases
    • Typhoid fever: 23 cases
    • Acute flaccid paralysis (AFP): 6 cases
    • Maternal Deaths: 5 deaths
    • Meningococcal meningitis: 4 cases, 1 death

    Looking Forward

    The report concludes with specific recommendations for improving the public health response. These include enhancing reporting timeliness and signal detection, conducting prompt risk assessments for all verified events, and strengthening routine immunization programs.

    Read the Official Bulletin →
  • Malawi Hosts National Bridging Workshop to Strengthen One Health Approach

    Malawi Hosts National Bridging Workshop to Strengthen One Health Approach

    National Bridging Workshop

    Lilongwe ,Malawi – August 13, 2025..
    by
    Moses Nyambalo Phiri in collaboration with Mark Mwalabu, and Settie Kanyanda.

    The Government of Malawi, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the UN Environment Programme, hosted its FIRST-EVER National Bridging Workshop (NBW). This workshop aimed to enhance the country’s “One Health” multisectoral approach by improving collaboration among human, animal, and environmental health sectors to prevent and respond to public health threats.

    Dr. Martias Joshua, Chief of Services-Reforms – MoH.

    Dr. Joshua highlighted Malawi’s commitment to One Health, noting that the country has already initiated a One Health Policy and prioritized zoonotic diseases for urgent multisectoral action.

    Dr. Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, WHO Malawi Country Representative.

    “Emphasized that a majority of emerging and re-emerging human diseases originate from the complex interplay between animals, humans, and the environment,” hence Bridging is the solution, Dr. Neema, WHO.

    Stated that the “workshop helps connect the JEE and PVS tools to develop a joint national roadmap.”, George Mvula.

    George Mvula, FAO Representative

    Pointed out that the “NBW identifies practical opportunities for joint initiatives to build a resilient health system.”, Dr. Moetapele Letshwenyo.

    Dr. Moetapele Letshwenyo, WOAH Representative for Southern Africa.

    This workshop is a crucial stride toward building a unified, resilient health system in Malawi. By strengthening cross-sectoral cooperation, the nation is proactively preparing to tackle present and future public health challenges effectively.

  • Public Health Institute of Malawi Hosts One-Health Meeting, Eyes National Strategy for Coordinated Health Action.

    Public Health Institute of Malawi Hosts One-Health Meeting, Eyes National Strategy for Coordinated Health Action.

    One Health Stakeholder Meeting

    Ufulu Gardens, Lilongwe, Malawi June-2025..
    by
    Moses Nyambalo Phiri in collaboration with Mark Mwalabu, and Settie Kanyanda.

    The One Health Stakeholders Meeting, held at Ufulu Gardens in Lilongwe on June 26, 2025, brought together key players from Malawi’s public health, animal health, and environmental sectors. Organized by the Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM) in collaboration with the Department of Animal Health and Livestock Development (DAHLD) and the Environmental Affairs Department (EAD), the meeting aimed to strengthen collaborative approaches under the One Health framework, align ongoing and planned activities, and improve coordination and cross-sectoral efforts.

    Representatives from various vital government bodies, including the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change, the Department of Disaster Affairs, the Malawi Police Service, the Malawi Defence Force, and the Office of the President and Cabinet, were in attendance. The Airport Commandant of Kamuzu International Airport’s Port Health Services also participated.

    Dr. Wilfred Chalamira Nkhoma from the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) officially opened the meeting. He stressed the critical need for strategic and coordinated efforts within a One Health approach to ensure its success.

    He particularly emphasized the critical need to operationalize One Health and establish structured, periodic meetings to review progress and foster accountability. He said “A significant proposal was the in the development of a national One Health strategy or policy with clear implementation and accountability plans for each sector” . He called for an Accountability and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) framework to track sectoral contributions and progress and suggested an independent committee to develop Scorecard to evaluate sector performance.

    “…Malawi needs to strategically coordinate efforts in One Health approach to achieve overall improved health of our nation….”

    Dr. Wilfred Chalamira Nkhoma – OPC.

    Several organizations presented their contributions and insights:

    The Pandemic Fund announced that Malawi had a $2.7 million share in the 2024 regional project focusing on disease surveillance and workforce response to climate-driven disease outbreaks. As of current, a multi-country proposal (RAPID-AI) for 2025 and a single-country proposal for strengthening pandemic preparedness through One Health approach are pending approval.

    Health Informaticts Malawi advocated for health informatics and data governance through training, advocacy, and standardization, emphasizing that “Every dataset should generate a decision.” while the WHO shared that they have been supporting for national One Health policies and AMR-related strategies, noting fragmentation and stressing the need for clear sectoral responsibilities and a skilled workforce.

    The AMR National Coordinating Committee (ANCC) provided an update on the AMR National Action Plan (2023–2030), with plans to establish a national OH AMR data warehouse, and there was also notion that research on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in poultry had identifying gaps in research and challenges related to data quality.

    HISP Malawi / University of Malawi showcased climate-health initiatives, including the DHIS2 Climate App (CHAP) and a climate data portal, emphasizing interoperability, whereas Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Focused on AMR research, particularly in Salmonella and E. coli, with pilot One Health research on AMU and AMR in hospitals.

    Key questions arose regarding the underrepresentation of environmental data in OH strategies and how to promote cross-use-case infrastructure and data interoperability with systems like NAMIS and OHSP. A follow-up call with GIZ and HISP was recommended to align integration efforts.

    Mirna Hussein, ECSA and Dr. Chikonzero, GIZ

    The meeting, co-funded by GIZ and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), the collective commitment to a unified approach to public health in Malawi.