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Tag: IDSR

  • IDSR Epidemiological Bulletin – Week 48.

    IDSR Epidemiological Bulletin – Week 48.

    Malawi IDSR Infographic (Week 48, 2025)

    Editorial Team

    Dr. Matthews Kagoli • Mrs. Mtisunge Yelewa • Mr. Austin Zgambo • Mr. Sikhona Chipeta • Mr. James Jere • Mr. Noel Khunga

    Weekly IDSR Bulletin

    Epidemiological Week 48 (24-30 November, 2025)

    Published By

    Moses Nyambalo Phiri

    Public Health Institute of Malawi

    National Surveillance Performance

    In Week 48, the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) system faced significant challenges. Reporting rates dropped considerably, with national completeness falling to 71.3% and timeliness to 68.1%, well below the 80% target. This requires urgent administrative attention.

    Reporting Completeness
    71.3%
    ↘ -23.5% vs Week 47
    Reporting Timeliness
    68.1%
    ↘ -23.8% vs Week 47
    Performance Analysis Only the Central West (97.0%) and Central East (92.0%) zones met the national targets. The South West (57.0%) and South East (59.0%) zones performed poorly, indicating potential systemic or logistical issues that require immediate administrative follow-up.

    Priority Disease Alerts

    Malaria remains the highest burden with 14,011 cases and 7 deaths. Alerts for Typhoid Fever (37 cases, 1 death) and SARI (61 cases, 2 deaths) highlight ongoing public health risks.

    Alert Insights Diarrhoea with blood remains high with 894 cases. Mpox alerts decreased to 19 suspected cases. A single Cholera alert and one Rabies alert were also reported and investigated.

    Outbreak Spotlight: Mpox

    One new confirmed Mpox case was reported in Week 48. Cumulative cases now total 140. Surveillance remains high to detect any new chains of transmission.

    Epidemic Curve

    Trend Analysis The epidemic curve shows sporadic cases persisting. Lilongwe (112 cumulative cases) remains the primary affected district.

    Demographic Impact

    Recovery Status Recovery rates are excellent at 98.6%. Currently, only 2 cases are under home isolation.

    Outbreak Spotlight: Measles

    Measles outbreak clusters have reached a total of 130 cases. While new cases in Balaka have plateaued, Machinga and Dowa reported increases.

    Geographic Clusters

    Hotspots Balaka (62 cases) remains the primary hotspot. Machinga cases rose to 25, and Dowa to 9, indicating localized transmission chains.

    Vaccination Status

    Data Gap A significant majority (75%) of cases have unknown vaccination status, complicating outbreak analysis.

    Event-Based Surveillance (EBS)

    21 signals were reported this week. 8 signals (38%) were verified as genuine events, with 4 classified as High Risk.

    1

    Detection

    21 signals reported (Decrease from 39 in Wk 46).

    2

    Verification

    8 signals (38.1%) verified as genuine public health events.

    3

    Response

    4 High Risk events identified requiring urgent intervention.

    Risk Profile Breakdown

    Signal Triage 4 signals were classified as High Risk, and 3 as Moderate Risk. 13 signals (62%) remain unclassified.
    ⬇ Download Official Bulletin (PDF)

    © 2025 Public Health Institute of Malawi. All Rights Reserved.

  • IDSR Epidemiological Bulletin – Week 46.

    IDSR Epidemiological Bulletin – Week 46.

    Malawi IDSR Infographic (Week 46, 2025)

    Editorial Team

    Dr. Matthews Kagoli • Mrs. Mtisunge Yelewa • Mr. Austin Zgambo • Mr. Sikhona Chipeta • Mr. James Jere • Mr. Noel Khunga

    Weekly IDSR Bulletin

    Epidemiological Week 46 (10-16 November, 2025)

    Published By

    Moses Nyambalo Phiri

    Public Health Institute of Malawi

    National Surveillance Performance

    The Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) system continues to perform strongly. In Week 46, reporting completeness reached 94.8%. However, Central Hospitals significantly underperformed at 50%, highlighting a critical need for data integration support at tertiary facilities.

    Reporting Completeness
    94.8%
    +0.4% vs Week 45
    Reporting Timeliness
    91.9%
    -2.4% vs Week 45
    Performance Analysis The Central West zone achieved near-perfect scores (99.4% completeness), while the North Zone maintained high standards (98.0%). The drop in timeliness suggests potential logistical or connectivity challenges in specific districts that need addressing.

    Priority Disease Alerts

    Malaria remains the highest burden (20,796 cases, 16 deaths). Notably, Rabies alerts saw a significant rise to 11 suspected cases this week.

    Alert Insights Diarrhoea with blood cases slightly decreased to 1,077 but remain high. SARI cases increased to 65 with 4 deaths, reinforcing the need for respiratory surveillance. Meningitis cases also rose slightly to 7.

    Outbreak Spotlight: Mpox

    Surveillance remains active with 3 new confirmed cases and 40 suspected alerts in Week 46. The cumulative confirmed total is now 139.

    Epidemic Curve

    Trend Analysis While the major wave has subsided, the occurrence of 3 new cases indicates persistent low-level transmission. Continued vigilance and contact tracing are essential to prevent a resurgence.

    Demographic Impact

    Recovery Status 131 cases (94.2%) have successfully recovered. Currently, active management involves isolating confirmed cases to break chains of transmission.

    Outbreak Spotlight: Measles

    Measles outbreaks are evolving. While Balaka remains the epicenter, Machinga and Nsanje have seen increases in case numbers (24 and 22 respectively). Total cases: 126.

    Geographic Clusters

    Hotspots The rise in cases in Nsanje (22) and Machinga (24) signals widening local transmission in the Southern region, requiring intensified vaccination campaigns.

    Vaccination Status

    Data Gap The majority of cases still have unknown vaccination status. Strengthening routine immunization data capture is critical for outbreak analysis.

    Event-Based Surveillance (EBS)

    39 signals were reported this week. The risk profile has diversified, now identifying events classified as Very High Risk (2) and Very Low Risk (1).

    1

    Detection

    39 signals reported (Decrease from 49 in Wk 45).

    2

    Verification

    9 signals (23.1%) verified as genuine public health events.

    3

    Response

    2 Very High Risk events identified requiring urgent intervention.

    Risk Profile Breakdown

    Signal Triage 30 signals (77%) remain unclassified. The presence of “Very High” risk signals emphasizes the importance of the verification process.
    Download Official Bulletin (PDF)

    © 2025 Public Health Institute of Malawi. All Rights Reserved.

  • IDSR Epidemiological Bulletin – Week 45.

    IDSR Epidemiological Bulletin – Week 45.

    Malawi IDSR Infographic (Week 45, 2025)

    Editorial Team

    Dr. Matthews Kagoli • Mrs. Mtisunge Yelewa • Mr. Austin Zgambo • Mr. Sikhona Chipeta • Mr. James Jere • Mr. Noel Khunga

    Weekly IDSR Bulletin

    Epidemiological Week 45 (November, 2025)

    Published By

    Moses Nyambalo Phiri

    Public Health Institute of Malawi

    National Surveillance Performance

    The Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) system serves as the backbone of Malawi’s public health security. In Week 45, the system maintained high reporting standards, ensuring timely data for rapid decision-making.

    Reporting Completeness
    94.4%
    -3.3% vs Week 44
    Reporting Timeliness
    94.3%
    +4.8% vs Week 44
    Performance Analysis The North Zone set the benchmark with 98.7% reporting rates. While the national average remains strong, targeted interventions are required for Central Hospitals, which reported at 75%, slightly below the 80% national target.

    Priority Disease Alerts

    Beyond Malaria (20,110 cases), the system actively tracked several critical conditions. Immediate investigations were launched for all alerts to prevent community spread.

    Alert Insights Bloody Diarrhoea triggered the highest volume of alerts (1,122 cases), necessitating water quality assessments. SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Infections) showed a concerning mortality rate (6 deaths among 44 cases), highlighting the severity of current respiratory pathogens.

    Outbreak Spotlight: Mpox

    Containment efforts are showing success. Zero new confirmed cases were reported this week, though surveillance remains heightened with 25 suspected alerts investigated.

    Epidemic Curve

    Trend Analysis Transmission has significantly slowed following the peak in August/September. The flatlining curve in November indicates effective containment strategies.

    Demographic Impact

    Risk Groups The outbreak has disproportionately affected economically active groups: Business persons (25%), Students (22%), and Miners (21%).

    Outbreak Spotlight: Measles

    Active response continues for localized measles clusters. A total of 117 cases have been managed since August, with vaccination campaigns intensified in affected districts.

    Geographic Clusters

    Hotspots Balaka District accounts for >50% of all cases (62 cases), identifying it as the primary priority area for supplementary immunization activities.

    Vaccination Status

    Data Gap 75% of cases have an unknown vaccination history. This data gap is a critical challenge for verifying vaccine efficacy vs. coverage failure.

    Event-Based Surveillance (EBS)

    Community engagement has surged, with reported signals tripling from the previous week (14 to 49). This demonstrates improved sensitivity at the community level.

    1

    Detection

    49 signals reported by community members and health workers.

    2

    Verification

    11 signals (22%) verified as genuine public health events; 38 pending or discarded.

    3

    Response

    3 High Risk events triggered immediate RRT deployment. 6 Moderate, 2 Low.

    Risk Profile Breakdown

    Signal Triage The high number of “Unclassified” signals (78%) suggests a need for faster initial verification protocols to clear the backlog.
    Download Official Bulletin (PDF)

    © 2025 Public Health Institute of Malawi. All Rights Reserved.