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Malawi is a landlocked country and occupies a land area of approximately 46,066 square miles of which 9,425 square miles are Lakes Malawi, Malombe, and Chirwa. From North to South, the country is 560 miles long and varies in width from 50 to 100 miles. The country is bordered to the East and South-West by Mozambique, to the North- West by Zambia, and to the North by Tanzania.
Malawi is vulnerable to the impacts of extreme weather events given its location along the Great Rift Valley, rapid population growth, unsustainable urbanization, climate variability and change, and environmental degradation among others. The most common weather-related shocks affecting Malawi include floods, drought, stormy rains, and hailstorms, most of which happen on an annual basis. Over the past five decades, Malawi has experienced more than 19 major floods and 7 droughts, with varying frequencies, magnitude, and scope over the years. For example, the Tropical Cyclone Idai of 2019 heavily affected Chikwawa,
Nsanje, Phalombe and Zomba districts with 11,194 households being affected, 15,000 livestock of different species destroyed.
In January 2022 Moderate Tropical Storm Ana affected 20 districts and 193,558 households were affected of which 22,364 households were displaced. In March 2022, Topical Cyclone Gombe affected 1 million people and seven deaths were reported. Cyclone Freddy hit the Southern region of Malawi between 11-13 March 2023, bringing strong winds and torrential rains and causing substantial flooding and mudslides. The extent of damage was substantial and widespread across many districts in the south. Some 2,267,458 people were affected across the many flooded areas, representing 523,564 households. There were 2,178 recorded injuries, and more than 1,000 people lost their lives. Flooding is most common in low altitude areas along the lakeshore areas and the Shire Valley.
In addition to the natural disasters, epidemics are another area of concern. Malawi has been affected by infectious diseases such as Cholera,
Typhoid, Measles, Polio and COVID-19. This is also applicable to zoonotic diseases such as Rabies and neglected tropical diseases such as Schistosomiasis and Trypanosomiasis. The recent protracted cholera outbreak in Malawi resulted in 59,376 cases and more than 1,772 deaths (CFR = 3%). Interventions have been put in place to address the morbidity and mortality resulting from these diseases through WASH measures, immunization and other preventive measures including a strong surveillance system for the detection and monitoring of diseases. However, the country’s vulnerability to such epidemics is still high and contributes to significant loss of life and health. They impose great strains on an already fragile health system.