Malawi rolls out cholera vaccines as rains and floods raise the threat of deadly outbreaks

BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — The southern African nation of Malawi began a cholera vaccination rollout this week in a bid to stem the threat of the disease that kills tens of thousands of people globally each year.

Cholera is avoidable when there is access to clean water and largely treatable with rehydration medication, and there are effective vaccines.

Malawi is one of several countries in Africa that face the perennial threat of cholera, and that's been exacerbated this year by unusually heavy rains and flooding in the southern African region, the kind of weather that often prompts cholera outbreaks.

Cholera is an acute diarrhea disease caused by a bacteria typically spread through contaminated food or water.

The continent suffered a major setback in its battle against cholera last year when cases surpassed 300,000, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control — the worst toll in 25 years.

One of the areas targeted by Malawian health officials for the three-day rollout that ended on Friday was the densely populated Chilomoni township in the commercial capital, Blantyre. At least 17 people have been diagnosed with cholera in the city in recent weeks, with one death reported, and authorities warned of “a steady rise” in cases nationally.

Dr. Gift Kawalazira, director of health and social services at the Blantyre District Health Office, said Thursday that officials had identified unsafe water sources as the likely reason for the cholera cases reported in Chilomoni — underlining how the disease especially impacts impoverished communities with restricted access to clean water.

Residents often pay about 5 U.S. cents for a 20‑liter bucket (around 5 gallons) of clean water from private taps in Chilomoni. But when they can't afford that fee, some turn to the nearby Muluda stream, a waterway contaminated with human and animal waste, for drinking, cooking and washing.

“You can see others bring their kitchen utensils and wash them right here and also wash their clothes,” Kawalazira said. “This is the water that is causing cholera.”

Malawi hopes to roll out 24,000 of the oral vaccines as a start, though officials say many more are needed for the country.

“We’re focusing on the most vulnerable populations," Kawalazira said, calling it “a good number to start with.” Cooperation between health workers and people was key, Kawalazira said, in containing the outbreak.

The global cholera vaccine stockpile was severely depleted by 2022 because of demand and limited suppliers, and that left poorer countries scrambling to contain outbreaks. In Malawi, one of its worst outbreaks killed nearly 2,000 people that year.

Among those seeking protection in Chilomoni this week were 24‑year‑old Harriet George, who brought her two children to a vaccination point on Thursday.

“I have seen that there is an outbreak of cholera in our area, and I decided to come with my children to get vaccinated,” George said. “Nine people from this area are in the hospital, and the news was not welcome because the end result is death.”

Africa has sought to invest in its own vaccine production given that cholera has become resurgent. In November, a South African pharmaceutical firm launched trials on what it hopes will be the first African-produced cholera vaccine.

Cholera often becomes a threat during rainy seasons, and health officials in Malawi have been spurred into action by unusually heavy rainfall in the southern African region since late last year that has caused devastating flooding in parts of South Africa and Mozambique.

Humanitarian organizations have warned that there is now a grave danger of large cholera outbreaks in Mozambique, where more than 500,000 people have been impacted by the floods and could be cut off from safe drinking water and food.

UNICEF spokesperson Guy Taylor said in a statement that “waterborne diseases and malnutrition are a lethal combination.”

Parts of Malawi have also been hit by flooding this month, sparking health concerns on top of the immediate impact of the extreme weather conditions.

Another Chilomoni resident, Noel Kanjere, said that he chose to get vaccinated after witnessing how quickly the disease can spread, though he was the only member of his five-person household that came to get the vaccine, he said.

“The health department should not only come when there is an outbreak," Kanjere said Thursday. "They need to continuously give sensitization messages to the community.”

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A health worker opens a cholera vaccine in Blantyre, southern Malawi, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Thoko Chikondi)

A woman draws water from a contaminated stream in Blantyre, southern Malawi, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Thoko Chikondi)

Harriet George, 24, takes a cholera vaccine near her home in Blantyre, southern Malawi, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Thoko Chikondi)

A health worker registers children for cholera vaccination in Blantyre, southern Malawi, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Thoko Chikondi)

A health worker administers a cholera vaccine in Blantyre, southern Malawi, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Thoko Chikondi)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea placed overseas travel bans on three people as part of an investigation into alleged drone flights over North Korea that have deepened animosities between the rivals, authorities said Friday.

North Korea threatened retaliation earlier this month after accusing South Korea of launching a surveillance drone flight in September and again in January. The South Korean government denied operating any drones during the times specified by North Korea and began probing if civilians sent them.

The development threatens to further dampen prospects for a push by South Korea's liberal government to resume long-stalled talks with North Korea.

The three civilians put under travel bans include a man with the surname Oh who told South Korean media that he flew drones to check radiation levels at a North Korean uranium facility, according to a joint military and police investigation team.

The investigation team refused to give details about two other civilians except to say one was summoned for questioning in the past week.

South Korea media reported the trio has worked together for a drone manufacturer and that Oh and the person who was summoned worked as contract employees for the office of then conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol in 2022. The investigation team declined to confirm the reports.

President Lee Jae Myung has called for a thorough probe, saying unnecessary tensions with North Korea would cause negative impacts the economy. Lee took office last June via a snap election arranged after the early departure of Yoon, who was dismissed as president over his ill-fated martial law imposition in late 2024.

Analysts say North Korea's drone accusations were likely driven by its efforts to dial up anti-South Korea sentiments ahead of the ruling Workers’ Party congress expected in late January or February. North Korea could add leader Kim Jong Un's declaration of a hostile “two-state” system on the Korean Peninsula in the party constitution during the congress, the first of its kind in five years.

There have been no public talks between the two Koreas since 2019 and drone flights are a source of animosity between the rivals.

North Korea accused South Korea in October 2024 of flying drones over its capital, Pyongyang, to drop propaganda leaflets. South Korea has accused North Korea of occasional drone flights over the border in the past decade.

In December 2022, South Korea fired warning shots, scrambled fighter jets and flew surveillance drones over North Korea in response to North Korea’s first alleged drone flights across the border in five years.

FILE - A soldier stands at a North Korean military guard post with the country's national flag, seen from Paju, South Korea, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)