143 more cases of cholera in Mozambique and one person died in the first week of August

Mozambique’s health authorities confirmed 143 more cholera cases and one death in the first eight days of August, mostly in Nampula province, according to Health Ministry data analyzed this Friday by Lusa.

The current cholera outbreak in Mozambique has recorded a total of 33,719 cases from September 14 to August 8, according to daily disease progression bulletins prepared by the National Public Health Authority.

On the first day of August, 33,576 cases were reported, resulting in 141 deaths. However, according to the same data, another death was reported in Nampula province due to a disease with a 0.4% mortality rate on August 6, with 34 patients hospitalized at the end of the first week of August.

In Nampula, 124 new cases of cholera were reported between August 1 and 8, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 3,060, with four deaths.

Mozambican health authorities announced cholera outbreaks in late July in two more districts, Mocimboa da Praia and Mueda, in the province of Cabo Delgado, joining two others active in acknowledging concerns about rising cases in the north of that province.

Cabo Delgado, in the north of the country, has recorded 1,221 cases since September last year, with three deaths. The new cases identified in the country in recent days are mostly concentrated in the province that has been hit by insurgent attacks over the past five years.

Until August 8, the majority of cholera cases in Mozambique were reported in the province of Zambezia, in the center of the country (13,400 diagnosed and 38 dead), especially affected by the devastation caused by Cyclone Freddy in February and March, followed by Sofala. (7,527 cases and 30 deaths) and Nyasa (3,501 cases and 25 deaths), but without new cases for several days.

The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) on 13 July in Maputo highlighted the efforts of Mozambique and the President of the Republic, Filipe Niyusi, to end the cholera epidemic.

For the Director-General of WHO, the Executive Director of Mozambique has handled an epidemic exacerbated by the impact of Cyclone Freddy admirably.

Mozambique is considered one of the countries most severely affected by climate change in the world, and this situation exacerbates the resistance of infrastructure and services that prevent the disease.

Cholera is a disease that causes severe diarrhea that is treatable but can lead to death from dehydration if not treated promptly.

The disease is largely caused by the consumption of food and water contaminated by the lack of sanitation.

In May, the World Health Organization warned that there would be a shortage of cholera vaccines worldwide by 2025 and that one billion people in 43 countries could be infected with the disease.