HC Deb 21 October 2002 vol 391 cc29-30W
Dr. Tonge

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the Government of Malawi regarding the cholera control programme; and what plans are in place to implement a sanitisation programme. [74881]

Clare Short

The lead agency supporting Malawi on cholera control is WHO. The National Cholera Task Force Ministry of Health (MoH) and relevant donors have pre-positioned cholera treatment supplies, completed field investigations of recurrent outbreaks, set up a Rapid Reaction Force, and prepared simplified surveillance tools. WHO has concluded agreements direct with districts and collaborating NGOs to conduct training on preparedness and case management.

WHO is supporting community-based sanitisation campaigns on cholera prevention, including key household practises (water storage, handwashing, home sanitation). Government, UNICEF, NGO partners and district authorities are cooperating to ensure that "hardware" (treatment supplies, borehole placement) and the "software" (health worker training, community awareness) are reaching the worst affected areas.