The authorities in Malawi have suspended primary and secondary schools opening in two major cities following a cholera outbreak that has so far killed 595 people.
Schools in the capital, Lilongwe, and the commercial hub, Blantyre, will remain closed for at least two more weeks after the Christmas holidays.
The cholera outbreak began in March 2022 but has become acute lately.
Nineteen people died on New Year’s Eve alone.
Health authorities say that the onset of the rainy season could be making the situation worse as flood waters mixed with waste and pollute water sources. The outbreak has spread to nearly all of Malawi’s 28 districts.END.