By Brighton Chimsinde 

Mchinji, January 20, Mana: Mchinji District Hospital Sexual Transmitting Infections (STIs) Coordinator, Elia Phiri says in 2024 the facility registered a high rate of Gonorrhea infection cases.

Phiri told Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Monday that the district's high prevalence rate raised an alarm.

“The facility that mostly covers the population situated at the Boma and surrounding areas, recorded 5,335 infection cases of STIs but out of them 2,164 cases were of Gonococcal, commonly known as Gonorrhea,” Phiri said.

He said Gonorrhea is a health-threatening disease saying it has the potential of causing complications that could attract Pelvic Inflammatory Diseases (PID), birth complications, cancer, infertility and a risk of HIV infections.

Phiri mentioned having multiple sexual partners, unprotected sex and drug and alcohol abuse as some of the risk factors that mostly fuel the rise of infections.

In a separate interview with the Field Officer for Mchinji Evangelical Lutheran Development Service (ELDS), Hope Million, said they are working jointly with the district hospital to carry out community outreach and mobile STI clinics in the district.

Million explained that ELDS has a special agreement with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on a project which is designed to reduce the spreading of HIV and other STI infections.

“Jointly ELDS and IOM have been providing the services through community outreach, mobile clinics, aside from raising awareness on sexual reproductive health rights and HIV,” Million said.