Highlights:
§ Following reports that maize prices in some districts have now increased above the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee projected maximum price, a rapid monitoring exercise was undertaken from 27th to 31st December, 2015. Results of the assessment are yet to be released, however it is expected that the number of people that will not be able to meet their basic food requirements as the lean seasons progresses will increase.
§ Since mid-December 2015, a total of 243 cholera cases with 9 deaths had been registered (4 from treatment centres and 5 from communities).
§ In addition to providing supplies, UNICEF is working with partners in disseminating hygiene promotion messages to cholera affected and at risk communities, and is supporting the construction of temporary latrines and bathing shelters in Cholera Treatment Centres.
§ In December 2015, 103,880 children under 5 years were screened for Acute Malnutrition out of which 886 children with Severe Acute Malnutrition and 4,553 with Moderate acute Malnutrition were identified and referred for appropriate treatment.
§ In December 2015, UNICEF completed the implementation of its 2015 recovery interventions in areas that were affected by floods in early 2015 in which 230,000 people sought refuge in temporary sites and 106,000 displaced people were hosted within the affected communities.
§ Since July 2015, over 1,500 people fleeing disturbances in Mozambique have arrived and are seeking asylum in Kapise Village in Mwanza district.
SITUATION IN NUMBERS
2.83 million In need of Food Assistance (The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee, National Food Security Forecast, October 2015 to March 2016)
243 Cholera Cases (Weekly Cholera Report, 28th December2015 - 3rdJanuary 2016,
Ministry of Health)
>1, 500 People from Mozambique seeking asylum in Mwanza (Minutes from joint coordinating committee meeting, 22nd December, Mwanza District Council)
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee’s (MVAC) October 2015 update listed a projected population of 2.8 million people to be at risk of food insecurity in 25 out of the 28 districts in the country.
Following reports that maize prices in some districts have now increased above the projected maximum price of MWK200/kg, the MVAC undertook a rapid monitoring exercise from 27th to 31st December, 2015. Results of the assessment are yet to be released but there is a likelihood that the number of people who will not be able to meet their basic food requirements as the lean season progresses will increase. Currently, the food insecure population is receiving humanitarian assistance, either in-kind or cash, however due to a pipeline break, a reduced ration of pulses has been experienced.
The country began registering cholera cases in midDecember 2015. Cumulatively, as of 3rd January 2016, a total of 243 cases with nine deaths had been registered (four from treatment centres and five from communities). Accounting for 75% of all reported cases, Machinga had registered 183 cases and 9 deaths while Zomba had registered 48 cases with no death and Nkhata Bay had registered 12 cases with no deaths. In Machinga and Zomba, the majority of cases have an epidemiological linkage to a cholera outbreak at Niassa province in Mozambique.
Additionally, people fleeing disturbances in Mozambique have been arriving in Malawi since in early July 2015 and are seeking asylum in Kapise Village in Mwanza district. UNICEF participated in two Joint Sector Coordination Committee meetings that were chaired by the District Commissioner on 29 and 30 December 2015 on the situation of asylum seekers. More than 1,500 people seeking asylum have arrived as of 22 December in Kapise Village in Mwanza district, however, concerns grow as the numbers of asylum seekers continue to increase.
El Nino Preparedness planning at both the national and district levels is underway. The country has been receiving reports of damage resulting from strong winds associated with the initial rains. As of 15 December 2015, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) had received reports indicating that 7,209 households had been affected. The DoDMA is still in the process of assisting the affected families.