245 more cases of cholera in Mozambique and three deaths in less than 15 days

Mozambique’s health authorities have confirmed another 245 cholera cases and three deaths in less than two weeks, mostly in Nampula province, according to Ministry of Health data analyzed this Monday by Lusa.

The current cholera outbreak in Mozambique reports 33,821 cases from September 14 to August 12, according to daily disease progress bulletins prepared by the National Public Health Authority.

On the first day of August, 33,576 cases were reported, resulting in 141 deaths. Meanwhile, according to the same data, three more deaths from the disease were reported in Nampula province, where the mortality rate is 0.4%, with 26 patients admitted to hospitals on August 12.

In Nampula, 217 new cases of cholera were reported between August 1 and 12, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 3,153, with six deaths, half of them after August 6.

At the end of July, Mozambican health authorities announced cholera outbreaks in two more districts, Mosimboa da Praia and Mueda, in the province of Cabo Delgado, which joined two other assets 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 12, most cases of cholera 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.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus on 13 July in Maputo highlighted the efforts of Mozambique and the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, 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 eating food and water contaminated by the lack of sanitation.

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