Blantyre District Health Office

25/08/2025

Chileka Quarantine Centre new look. Courtesy of Blantyre District Council. Special acknowledgement to World Bank for the funding.

# Blantyre District Health Office
# World Bank

12/08/2025

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07/08/2025

Know more about about MPOX
Dziwani Zambiri za MPOX

# Blantyre District Health Office
# Ministry of Health
# WHO
# UNICEF
# Israaid

02/08/2025

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11/07/2025

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sara-m-allinder-9373381_iasscience-kigali-malawi-activity-7349105633507319808-9awt?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm=ACoAAAxbTtYBTzOCpCvSIY9YQ2dQFIDkqANpnng

If you are attending the 2025 meeting in-person in or virtually next week, please join our satellite on Monday at 3pm Central Africa Time (CAT) / 9am Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). We'll be in room MH2. This satellite session will present how has demonstrated national a...

30/06/2025

https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/measles-hit-malawi-vaccines-roll-out-and-parents-step

As 93% of eligible children are reached in an outbreak-hit part of Malawi, health workers laud parents for understanding that “the vaccines are life-saving”.

19/06/2025

Blantyre district Health Office took part in the inaugural 2025 National Health Promotion conference which took place at the Sunbird Nkopola in Mangochi from on 28th and 29th of May 2025.

BT DHO presented on BPS, an innovative approach that is leveraging use of data and community insights to plan and implement Health promotion and other HIV interventions. The presentation was done by the District Health promotion Officer Chrissy Chabwera Banda who presented on a topic; harnessing the use of a Human-Centered Design Community Lab Model (HCD-driven CL) and data in HIV Demand Creation for HIV prevention: A Case of The Blantyre Prevention Strategy.

In her presentation, she indicated how Blantyre has demonstrated strong ownership of its technical leadership in HIV prevention by taking full control of planning and implementation, using data-driven insights to target resources and identify critical areas, and addressing gaps across the HIV Prevention System.

The HCD-driven CL model demonstrates promise in demand creation and service delivery for HIV prevention. It offers a valuable approach to addressing HIV prevention challenges, its replication in other districts could enhance HIV prevention efforts, supporting Malawi's progress toward global targets.

The conference focused on the areas of Demand Creation and Advocacy, Health Behavior Change & Communication, Models and Approaches for Health Promotion, Health Promotion Policies and Laws, Indigenizing Health Communication, Risk Communication and Community Engagement. A total of 53 oral and poster abstracts were presented that focused on the aforementioned areas. Participants had opportunities to interact with the presenters through question and response sessions.

Prevention Strategy (BPS)
DHO
Blantyre District Council
City Council

19/06/2025

Health communication experts and stakeholders across Malawi convened in Mangochi at the Sunbird Nkopola on 28th and 29th of May 2025 for the first ever National Health Promotion Conference, a very exciting and intriguing event where learning through sharing best practices took place. The conference was held under the theme “Communicating Health: Changing Behaviours, Transforming Lives’’. The gathering brought together participants from the Ministry of Health, Government Parastatals, Civil society, Academia, Community Leaders, Development Partners and the Media. The Meeting was graced by the Minister of Health, Honorable Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, MP.
The event started with a tour of exhibitions by the Minister and other distinguished guests that were mounted showcasing communication interventions being implemented by partners to support the public uptake and utilization of health services..
In the opening remarks, the Honorable Minister reaffirmed the ministry’s position that health promotion is no more a luxury but rather it is a national priority. She emphasized` that the conference theme on its own is a powerful call to action for sustaining lasting health outcomes depending on what people know, believe and do.
The Deputy Director of Community and Promotive Health in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Kondwani Mamba concurred with the Minister and emphasized his desire to introduce novel approaches to improving delivery of Health communication messaging to complement impact of prevention interventions.
The conference focused on the areas of Demand Creation and Advocacy, Health Behavior Change & Communication, Models and Approaches for Health Promotion, Health Promotion Policies and Laws, Indigenizing Health Communication, Risk Communication and Community Engagement. A total of 53 oral and poster abstracts were presented that focused on the aforementioned areas. Participants had opportunities to interact with the presenters through question and response sessions.
A major highlight for the conference was the panel discussion whose panelist comprised of distinguished experts in academia, communication and program implementation in the likes of Prof. Adamson Muula from Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Mrs Chimwemwe Mablekisi from National AIDS Commission, Dr Flemmings Ngwira from Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences and Dr Kondwani Mamba from Community and Promotive Health division in the Ministry of Health.
The chairperson of the organizing committee, Ms Bertha Sato appreciated the support that partners provided to make the conference one of the successful events despite being an inception one both in the country and the SADC region.
The momentum generated by the National Health Promotion Conference is expected to catalyze more inclusive, coordinated, and sustainable efforts to promote health and well-being of people across the country.

National AIDS Commission (NAC)

Health communication experts and stakeholders across Malawi convened in Mangochi at the Sunbird Nkopola on 28th and 29th of May 2025 for the first ever National Health Promotion Conference, a...

04/06/2025

This year as a health sector, we have been implementing a series of our Konda BT Konda Moyo HIV prevention Campaign under the under the Blantyre Prevention Strategy.

As a district, have made huge strides in reducing HIV positivity rate from around 5% in 2020 to around 2% in 2024. Blantyre used to be one of the high burdened districts in Southern Africa with a high HIV prevalence rate of around 18.2 % among people aged 15 to 49 years according to the MPHIA 2015-15 report. Currently we are proud that this trend has shifted to around 12% according to NAOMI 2023 estimates.

One of the Pillars that has greatly contributed to these great achievements is the demand creation pillar which is using the health communication campaign and the Human Centered Design Driven Community Lab model to get insight from the clients on their preferences, motivations, barriers including how and where they want health services should be delivered. This is a very exciting model in improving service delivery coupled with active and passive surveillance, quality improvement initiatives, community engagement and stakeholder collaboration and structural risk reduction by engaging politicians.

The campaign was also integrated with messages to communities that despite the fact that there is no HIV vaccine yet, communities should not lose hope since scientists globally are trying their efforts to research for an HIV.

The campaign was coupled with health service delivery such HIV testing and counselling, HIV self-testing distribution, Condom distribution, PrEP initiation, STIs screening among others.

Communities were encouraged to utilize current preventive measures that include;

HIV testing and Counselling
Taking PrEP if you are at substantial risk of HIV acquisition
Taking PEP soon after a possible exposure to HIV
Adherence to ART
Using a condom if you are taking other preventive measures, its best to dual protect yourself

# Konda Blantyre Konda Moyo
# Love Blantyre, Love Life
# Blantyre Prevention Strategy

22/05/2025

Blantyre DHO would like to inform the general public that Ministry of Health has shifted campaign for Measles Rubella. The campaign will commence on 2nd to 6th June 2025 targeting Children from 9 months to 59 months with Vitamin A and 9 months to 9 years with Measles Rubella vaccine.

These services will be offered in government, CHAM, other private health facilities, primary and nursery schools and other designated areas in your area.

Let us ensure that all children between 9 months to 9 years have received these live-serving services.

we can end Measles Rubella

22/05/2025

18/05/2025

HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (HVAD) is commemorated annually on May 18. As the World commemorates this Day, let us know that scientists globally are working so hard in trying their best to develop an HIV vaccine, let us have hope that one day, we will have an HIV vaccine hence the need for continued investment in an HIV vaccine research and development.

Meanwhile, let us ensure that we are protecting ourselves and our loved ones by following safer s*x practices that includes;
Going for HIV testing and Counseling
Accessing Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) services
Using condoms consistently and correctly
Adherence to Antiretroviral treatment (ARVs)
Early infant diagnosis (EID)
Going early for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) screening and treatment

To learn even more about our HIV vaccine development efforts, please join IAVI and the International AIDS Society’s Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise for a webinar on May 28 at 9am ET. Co-chaired by Marlène Bras of IAS and the University of Zimbabwe’s Nyaradzo Mgodi, the session will feature remarks from Kundai Chinyenze, IAVI’s Africa director, Glenda Gray, president and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council, and Mitchell Warren, AVAC’s executive director, among other distinguished panelists. You can subscribe to IAVI using the following link;

https://www.iavi.org/subscribe/

Vaccine Awareness Day (HVAD)

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