By Wanangwa Tembo

Kasungu, June 11, Mana: Principal Epidemiology Officer at the Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM), Austin Zgambo, has called for vigilance amongst health management structures so that they are able to quickly detect and effectively respond to health emergencies.

Zgambo, who is responsible for surveillance of public health activities, made the call on Tuesday during the opening of a two-day orientation of Kasungu District Public Health Emergency Management Committee (PHEMC) on health cluster coordination.

The session was planned to build capacity for the PHEMC to ably respond to public health emergencies such as Mpox, cholera and Marburg in the district.

“We are living in a period where we are facing a lot of health emergencies and disasters, and we noted that it has been a long time since we last oriented district-based health management structures on their terms of reference to respond to emergencies.

“So, this activity is meant to refresh their minds on how they can respond to emergencies and disasters that may occur in the districts, update the structures on the current situation of Cholera and Mpox and also to make them get prepared for Ebola and Marburg,” Zgambo said.

He said the management committees must be alert and always prepared, as it is not known when diseases will strike.

“We must have plans on how we will respond if the district is faced with a particular health emergency,” he said.

In his remarks, Senior Environmental Health Officer for Kasungu, Rumbani Mughogho, highlighted the importance of the training, as it has come at a time when the country is registering cases of Mpox disease.

“It’s a wake-up call for the district that we must always be prepared, despite though we have not registered any cases of those diseases this year.

“We have structures at all levels of health management, and my appeal is that we must be meeting regularly to plan and remind one another on our mandate despite the challenge of resources being limited,” Mughogho said.

Malawi has reported 27 cases of Mpox, a viral zoonotic disease that has killed 979 people across 19 African Union member states between January and May this year, posting at least 62,272 cases.