Measles deaths: Mutharika blames churches


  1. Mtheto Lungu, AfricaNews reporter in Lilongwe, Malawi
    Malawi president Bingu wa Mutharika, has accused some faith groups for causing deaths of its faithful. A measles outbreak has killed 82 people and attacked about 17,496 between January and June 20 this year.
    mutharika
    Some churches in the country bar their followers from assessing medication.

    Mutharika asked the churches, including the Seventh Day Apostolic Church which has seen a number of its followers die, to stop their negative religious doctrine.

    "Do not allow children to die because of failure to vaccinate them. You are breaking the law. Let us be rational when we practice our religious beliefs. There is nowhere in the Bible where seeking medication is prohibited," he said.

    "Do not kill children in the name of religion. Parents should respect childrens rights. Children must not suffer because of parents," he added.

    Advisor to the state president on religious affairs, Reverend Billy Gama, two months ago said government would consider holding sensitisation workshops for religious sects who believe medication is not welcome when sick.

    Some religious leaders and believers have since been arrested and successfully charged for refusing their families from getting medication and vaccination from hospitals.


Reactions

  1. Image of Mtheto Lungu

    Mtheto Lungu
    447 berichten
    Lid sinds August 2009
    Lilongwe


    Dear Editors,

    The church should read ' Seventh Day Apostolic Church' and not Seventh Day Adventist Church.

    Regards.

    Mtheto Lungu


Latest News

  1. OPINION: Welcome to African Green Revolution24/05For the past century and a half, Africa has tried various agricultural approaches without much success.
  2. Egyptians vote in historic election23/05Egyptians began voting freely on Wednesday for the first time to pick their president in a wide open election that pits Islamists against men who serv…
  3. Africa Day 2012 - a moment for reflection and…22/0525th May is Africa Day. For many years it has been a celebration of African unity. It dates back to 1963 when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) …
  4. South Africa's African agenda21/05The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Mothlanthe paid a rare visit to Ghana in April at the invitation of John Dramani Mahama …
  5. Women struggle to rinse hunger, poverty stains21/05Just looking at her one clearly appreciates that she is old and frail therefore in need of support for food, clothing and shelter to live comfortably …
  6. Climate Climate change affects migratory birds…21/05Changes in the climate globally have affected the movement of both migratory and resident species of birds, Nature Uganda has said.
  7. Ghana: Foreign retailers cited for currency…18/05The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) is attributing the sharp depreciation of the Ghana cedi against major currencies to the illegal activiti…
  8. Kenya: Community radio brings succour to…18/05Korogocho, a slum in northeastern Nairobi with 100,000 inhabitants, had many of the ingredients for a political explosion similar to those that rocked…
  9. Veld fires 'flame' Zimbabwe's…16/05Over the years, Zimbabwe has experienced the scourge of veld fires destroying property worth thousands of dollars.
  10. Liberia commends ECOWAS for support14/05The induction training of pioneer Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Volunteers for Liberia kicked off in Monrovia, with the Deputy Mi…
  11. Vanishing Lake Chad puts 30m lives at risk14/05As you approach the Lake Chad basin from Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, the evidence of despair is telling.
  12. Heavy rains cause havoc in Kenya14/05Heavy Rainfall continued to wreak havoc across the country leading to the suspension of relief food in some parts of the country as most roads in Turk…
  13. Zimbabwe: Growth points lie dormant14/05The Zimbabwean government mooted the concept of growth points in the 1980s as a means of decongesting cities and towns.
  14. Sierra Leone improves in infant mortality11/05Sierra Leone has improved in infant mortality cases according to Save the Children- World Motherhood index 2012 report. The West Africa country descri…
  15. Zimbabwe: Resettled farmers fail to utilize…10/05Resettled farmers in Zimbabwe are failing to utilize land due to inadequate farming inputs and lack of resources.
News archive