Malawi News

Lilongwe: On 29 June 2012, in commemoration of 2012 World Health Day, the vice President Honorable Khumbo Kachali who is also the Minister of Health, led all civil servants at Capital Hill, the helm of government ministries, to demonstrate and emphasize the need to ‘practice what you preach’ in prevention of non-communicable diseases.

On 31 July 2012 the World Health Organization handed over diagnostic equipment and drugs worth, 1.2 million Malawi kwacha to Kasungu District Hospital. This support is for the implementation of the WHO package for essential noncommunicable diseases (WHO PEN) for primary health care in low resource settings.

Inside
• 2012 World Health Day commemoration demonstrates healthy life styles to prevent NCDs among civil servants cover page and page 1

• Midyear message from Dr Felicitas Zawaira World Health Organization Resident Representative page 2

• 2012 World Health Day commemoration demonstrates healthy life styles to prevent NCDs among civil servants...continued on page 3

• Malawi calls for a world free of TB on World STOP TB Day 2012 page 4—5

• News in pictures page 6

On 29 October 2012, Malawi officially launched the Rotavirus vaccine children under one year of age. The launch took place in Ntchisi district, central Malawi and the guest of honor was the Vice President of the Republic of Malawi and Minister of Health, Right Honorable Khumbo Kachali. Malawi is the fourth GAVI-eligible country in Africa to roll out rotavirus vaccine in the national immunization schedule, following the footsteps of Sudan, Ghana and Rwanda.

Lilongwe, on 19 April 2013 -- In commemoration of 2013 World Health Day, the Minister of Health, Honorable Catherine Gotani Hara, MP was the guest of honor when Kasungu District Health Office (DHO) led all District Health Offices and the Ministry of Health to commemorate World Health Day with the theme: “High blood pressure” and the slogan “act now to prevent high blood pressure.” The main event took place at Kasungu community ground but some activities started at the district hospital.

Activities for Malawi will focus on raising community awareness on importance of immunization, and the knowledge of the general population of the New EPI schedule for Malawi. 

The African Vaccination Week will be celebrated by disseminating messages to the general public on the importance of immunizing children against childhood illnesses and the value of immunization. The messages will be disseminated through health talks by health works in under-five clinics throughout the country, the radio, newspapers and the television.

Over the past decade, Malawi has made significant progress reducing deaths in children under five. Still, pneumonia is the single biggest killer, taking the lives of an estimated 1000 babies and young children in 2010. Diarrhoea is another major threat, causing the deaths of 600 Malawian children per year.

The good news is, these diseases are both preventable and treatable, and Malawi is making good progress tackling them.

New vaccines

22 February 2014, Lilongwe,Malawi: Dr Eugene Appiah Nyarko, the new WHO Representative (WR) to Malawi, on 28 January 2014 presented his credentials to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Honorable Ephraim Ng’ande Chiume MP, at the Minister’s Capital Hill office. Dr. Nyarko, served in the Republic of Botswana prior to his new assignment in Malawi.

14 June 2014, Gymkhana Club Ground, Zomba: The Malawi Blood Transfusion Services (MBTS Trust) on 14 June 2014, led all partners and Malawians in commemorating the World Blood Donor Day. The ceremony was held at Gymkhana Club ground in Zomba. The theme this year “Safe blood for saving mothers” focused on raising people’s awareness about the critical need for safe blood and blood products to be available for everyone, but especially for women suffering from severe bleeding during delivery or after childbirth.

From 24 to 25 July 2014 at the Bingu International Conference Center in Lilongwe, the Ministry of Health convened a meeting of partners that collaborated in the implementation of the Human Papilloma Virus vaccine demonstration project in two districts. The aim of the meeting was to share the experiences and the lessons learnt during the one year of implementation and plan for the second year. By the end of the meeting, the participants developed the year two activities for dosing, integration and activity timelines.