Update: Following earlier reports that Malawi was on high alert for Ebola, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and the World Health Organization (WHO) have stepped up border screening measures. According to Nation Online, Minister of Health and Sanitation Madalitso Baloyi and WHO country representative Charles Kuria Njuguna inspected passenger screening processes at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe on Monday. Airport staff have been mandated to screen incoming travellers for the virus, and the WHO is handing over laboratory reagents and protective gear to support national case management and infection prevention.
In a separate development, severe global aid cuts are worsening health conditions at the Dzaleka Refugee Camp. Nation Online reports that the camp's medical facilities are struggling with the same medication shortages currently affecting Malawi's broader public healthcare sector. In addition to the lack of supplies, many refugees have reported being forced to make informal payments for basic medical services that are supposed to be free.