Cyclone Freddy has moved on from Malawi, but it has left behind it a trail of destruction and the risk of an unprecedented cholera outbreak.

It is usually spread through contaminated water and, left untreated, it can be fatal within hours, even in previously healthy people.

Poor sanitation made worse by a lack of running water and adequate toilets in evacuation camps is exposing survivors to this and other waterborne diseases.

“We draw water from the nearby river which lies below a graveyard. In the same area are pit latrines. With the rains, they are filled with water and all that stuff is being swept into the river,” said survivor Elestina Chambo.