Mozambican authorities prevent malaria in flooded areas

Mozambique’s health authorities announced on Tuesday a massive spraying operation in areas hit by floods earlier in the year to fight malaria.

Spraying is one method used to kill mosquitoes that carry the disease-causing parasite, and stagnant bodies of water encourage the spread of insects.

Spraying activities will take place in Boane, Namaacha, Maputo and Manisa districts, Yolanda Santos, director of the provincial health service, said.

Technical managers are “already on the ground,” he said, where they are raising community awareness to strengthen preventive measures, Rádio Moçambique was quoted as saying.

Among the precautions is the use of mosquito nets at night.

Actions are also aimed at preventing cholera, a waterborne disease that can be prevented through the promotion of hygiene habits.

Malaria remains one of the country’s leading causes of death for children under the age of five.

Cholera appears seasonally during the rainy season, it is a disease that can be treated and even prevented with vaccines, but in the last rainy season, since September 2022, it reached its peak in Mozambique: according to the Ministry of Health (Misau).

The south of the country was hit hard this year by floods in February, when areas were flooded for several days, thousands of families and various infrastructure were affected.