STORY: Malawian gov't bans handshaking amid conjunctivitis outbreak
SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 29, 2024
DATELINE: March 3, 2024
LENGTH: 00:00:58
LOCATION: Lilongwe
CATEGORY: HEALTH

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Zomba district hospital
2. Malawi Minister of Health Chiponda inside the facility     
2. Malawi Minister of Health Chiponda meeting eye patients
3. SOUNDBITE (English): KHUMBIZE KANDODO CHIPONDA, Malawi Minister of Health
4. various of medical personnel

STORYLINE:

Malawi's Health Ministry has directed the public to stop handshaking, among other unhygienic practices, to avoid the spread of conjunctivitis after the country has registered over 370 cases since January.

Issuing the directive on Thursday, Health Minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda said the outbreak, first reported in the northern border district of Karonga, has now spread to other districts.

The minister said the disease, also known as pink eye, transmits rapidly due to poor hygiene.

SOUNDBITE (English): KHUMBIZE KANDODO CHIPONDA, Malawi Minister of Health
"What we are advocating for is hygiene, especially handwashing. Handwashing looks very simple but there are so many diseases which we can really prevent from being transmitted by just washing our hands. You are aware that even during cholera we encouraged handwashing and hand hygiene. Even during the COVID-19 we also encouraged hand hygiene."

Conjunctivitis is a viral/bacterial disease and its symptoms include inflammation of the transparent membrane that lines the eyelid and eyeball, redness, itching, and discharge from the eye.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Lilongwe.
(XHTV)