Blantyre — Rumours that there are vampires in some districts who break into people's houses at night to suck human blood have been described by some analysts as a political strategy by the opposition to create a state of insecurity in the country.

The opposition is further using the strategy to demonise some officials of the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) by alleging that they harbour bloodsuckers or allow bloodsuckers to do their sinister operations.

Contrary to rumours of blood sucking vampires spread by the disgruntled opposition politicians, police and health authorities in the country have said no single victim of bloodsuckers has reported his or her ordeal to a hospital or police authorities. Health officials are condemning the rumour mongers for creating confusion, which in some cases has disrupted some services which are offered in hospital.

Thyolo District Hospital, for instance, has suspended its ambulance services to its health centres at night following reports that villagers were intending to damage the vehicles, which they accuse of ferrying bloodsuckers.

Speaking in an interview with The Malawi Standard, Thyolo District Hospital administrator, Hastings Dowe, said most villagers in the district associate the hospital personnel with the alleged bloodsuckers therefore it was risky to send ambulances to health centres.

"We decided to suspend ambulance services to health centres under Thyolo District Hospital during the night because it is risky. Villagers might damage the ambulances, they claim that hospital authorities know something about the bloodsuckers, you know it is very difficult to convince villagers on anything they conceive," he explained.

He said ambulance services are only rendered to health centres during the day.

Dowe described vampire news as 'mere rumours'.

In Chiradzulu, a woman who claimed bloodsuckers pumped blood out of her body was driven to the district hospital by a National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) officer to establish if indeed she was the victim of the bloodsuckers.

Fred Zayinga, Chiradzulu deputy district health officer confirmed that three weeks ago a NICE official brought a woman to the hospital on allegation that bloodsuckers attacked her.

"A Mr. Jedigwa of NICE offered her a lift to here. We diagnosed that the woman was pregnant, had bilhazia and was anaemic but this had nothing to do with the bloodsuckers," he explained.

Mulanje District Hospital acting administrator, Madison Semba described the rumours as baseless, saying the rumours started spreading from remote areas of the district.

"Mulanje District Hospital has not registered any victim of bloodsuckers, these are just rumours," he said.

Meanwhile police have said rumours of bloodsuckers are just propaganda aimed at instilling fear among people.

"Anyone spreading the rumours will be prosecuted of conduct likely to cause breach of peace," reads a police statement in part.

The police however, are requesting people with information on bloodsuckers to report to any nearest police station.

A political Scientist at the Chancellor in Zomba said he suspects that there is a political element to the bloodsucker's rumours.

"I suspect that some opposition politicians are behind the rumours with the aim of making the United Democratic Front (UDF) government unpopular. Why are the rumours of blood suckers only coming from UDF strong holds?" he queried.

Chiradzulu, Thyolo, Mulanje and Blantyre districts are UDF strong holds and it is in these districts where blood sucking rumours are on the rise with the latest incident in Manase where UDF Blantyre district governor, Eric Chiwaya was beaten for allegedly being associated with bloodsuckers.

Chiwaya accused National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of Brown Mpinganjira for masterminding the beating.

"I suspect that NDA masterminded my beating because one of the boys pointed out that he was beating me for insulting Brown Mpinganjira during public meetings," Chiwaya said.

Other commentators say that if there were indeed bloodsuckers people would have arrested some of them already.

Alfred Phiri of Chilobwe Township said the rumour mongering campaign is just a strategy aimed at creating confusion.

"Why are the bloodsuckers hitting only in Mulanje, Thyolo, Chiradzulu and Blantyre where there are some pockets of members of a certain unregistered political grouping? Why aren't we hearing of blood suckers in Mzimba, Chitipa, Dowa and Ntchisi?" quizzed Phiri.

He explained that he has heard of some of them are cheating that devil worshippers are the ones who are sending people to suck blood from innocent people.

Phiri told The Malawi Standard that the rumuor mongers are deliberately telling lies that the bloodsuckers usually arrive at a particular house at night. They climb to the top of the roof of the house from which they pump some gas, which stimulate heavy sleeping.

When all the occupants of the house are in deep slumber the suckers use their sophisticated equipment to extract blood.

"But ask how many people in Blantyre have had their blood sucked by the vampires? Nobody! This is why I say this is just a political smear propaganda," said Phiri.