ICBM, BT DHO in health awareness campaign

ICBM college students and Blantyre District Health Office in health awareness campaign amid Cholera outbreak in some parts of Blantyre.

This comes as Blantyre District Health Office has recently announced that almost three people in the areas of Bangwe and Makhetha were diagnosed with cholera.

Speaking to Radio Islam on Thursday during health promotion and awareness campaign students in the faculty of Public Health at ICBM conducted in Chirimba Rural, programs manager for Water Hygiene and Sanitation Nelson Kumwenda said health awareness campaign are vital in eradicating cholera.

Most people regard rainy season as a period of blessing as there is abundant water for crops, animals and people.

However, it is in the same rainy season that most people are affected by water born diseases like cholera if issues of hygiene are compromised.

It is  in the same vain that Ministry of health through various stakeholders like Blantyre district health office conducts some health public awareness to alert people of water born diseases and encourage them to practice good hygiene.

Realizing that this effort needs corrective responsibility, Public Health Students from International College of Business and Management ICBM in Blantyre thought to conduct awareness as part of sensitizing people on how to prevent cholera outbreak.

On Thursday the students flocked to Chirimba rural where among other things they mobilized people and gave them hygiene related messages and distributed chlorine.

Hussein Imvamu a Public Health lecturer at ICB M said the students engaged in the campaign in order to help in protecting lives of people from the deadly disease.

Water Hygiene and Sanitation at Blantyre DHO Nelson Kumwenda acknowledges ICBM students initiative in helping Blantyre DHO in eradicating Cholera through civic educating the public on hygiene.

“Three cases of cholera in the district is a worrisome development hence the need for stakeholders like students in public health to come in and help in eradicating the disease,”says Kumwenda

Speaking on behalf of Public Health students, Hawa Amin said the exercise was educative as they have learnt hands on experience of what lecturers teach them.

Cholera which is fatal if not treated right away spreads through contaminated food or water and key symptoms are diarrhoea as well as dehydration.