Determinants of cholera fatalities in Malawi: A case-control study of patient-level and clinical management factors in the 2022-23 outbreak

Overview: This dataset supports the study titled "Determinants of cholera fatalities in Malawi: A case-control study of patient-level and clinical management factors in the 2022–23 outbreak." The study aimed to identify clinical and behavioural factors associated with cholera-related deaths during Malawi’s largest and deadliest outbreak to date, which began in March 2022. Using a matched case-control design, the dataset captures detailed information across treatment units in four Malawian districts. Data Collection Period: -March 2022 – September 2023 (retrospective review conducted August 21 – September 1, 2023) Study Sites: -Blantyre District Health Office -Lilongwe District Health Office -Mangochi District Health Office -Nkhatabay District Health Office Data Type: -Retrospective clinical and demographic data (anonymised) Number of Observations: -241 patient records, each with 32 variables, prior to in silico matching and data cleaning. Matching Variables: -Age (in age ranges) -District of diagnosis Key Variables: -Demographics: age, sex, occupation, marital status, residential location -Health-Seeking Behaviour: time to hospital presentation, vaccination status -Clinical Characteristics: hydration status, comorbidities (e.g., HIV status) -Treatment Details: IV fluid administration, adequacy of fluid management (coded against WHO guidelines), antibiotic use, time in ward -Outcome: mortality (case = 1; control = 0) File Format: -CSV (.csv): (fully anonymised)