Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
Volume 28, Supplement—December 2022
SUPPLEMENT ISSUE
Surveillance

SARS-CoV-2 Prevalence in Malawi Based on Data from Survey of Communities and Health Workers in 5 High-Burden Districts, October 2020

Joe Alex Theu1, Alinune Nathanael Kabaghe1Comments to Author , George Bello, Evelyn Chitsa-Banda, Matthews Kagoli, Andrew Auld, Jonathan Mkungudza, Gabrielle O’Malley, Fred Fredrick Bangara, Elizabeth F. Peacocke, Yusuf Babaye, Wingston Ng’ambi, Christel Saussier, Ellen MacLachlan, Gertrude Chapotera, Mphatso Dennis Phiri, Evelyn Kim, Mabvuto Chiwaula, Danielle Payne, Nellie Wadonda-Kabondo2, Annie Chauma-Mwale2, Titus Henry Divala2, and Public Health Institute of Malawi COVID-19 surveillance committee3
Author affiliations: University of Washington Malawi International Training and Education Center for Health, Lilongwe, Malawi (J.A. Theu, G. Bello, J. Mkungudza, F.F. Bangara, Y. Babaye, C. Saussier); US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Malawi, Lilongwe (A.N. Kabaghe, A. Auld, E. Kim, D. Payne, N. Wadonda-Kabondo); Public Health Institute of Malawi, Lilongwe (E. Chitsa-Banda, M. Kagoli, M. Chiwaula, A. Chauma-Mwale); University of Washington International Training and Education Center for Health, Seattle, Washington, USA (G. O’Malley, E. MacLachlan); Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Lilongwe (E.F. Peacocke); Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi (G. Chapotera, M.D. Phiri, T.H. Divala)

Main Article

Table 4

Estimated number of cases in the 5 districts from the survey compared with the cases reported to the national surveillance system by facilities in Malawi, December 2020

District Population* Total district case estimates/100,000 population Total district case estimates
Reported cases Reported cases/100,000 population Estimation factor
Lower bound Middle estimate Higher bound
Blantyre 1,304,357 13,100 117,392 170,871 243,915 2,065 158 82.7
Karonga 380,608 9,400 27,784 35,777 46,434 91 24 393.2
Lilongwe 2,770,840 6,100 96,979 169,021 282,626 1,412 51 119.7
Mangochi 1,224,716 4,100 31,843 50,213 75,932 157 13 319.8
Mzimba North
560,129
12,100
48,731
67,776
92,981
594
106
114.1
Total 6,842,977 7,800 393,161 486,771 599,102 4,319 69 112.9

*Population estimates are projections from the Malawi National Statistical Office, 2018 Housing Census report.

Main Article

1These first authors contributed equally to this article.

2These senior authors contributed equally to this article.

3Members are listed at the end of this article.

Page created: July 01, 2022
Page updated: December 11, 2022
Page reviewed: December 11, 2022
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external