Five people have died amid misinformation about cholera in Mozambique, Mozambican police commander general Bernardino Rafael said.
The victims are mainly local leaders and health workers killed by members of the public on charges of introducing cholera cases into communities, explained Bernardino Rafael during a rally in Chiura, Cabo Delgado province, in northern Mozambique, held Wednesday – fair.
“We ask the public not to listen to these messages and to report people spreading misinformation about cholera,” said the General Commander of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM).
The cases are concentrated in the districts of Chiure, Montepuez and Namuno in Cabo Delgado province, where authorities have recorded half of the country’s 26 reported cases of violence due to disinformation.
This phenomenon is also recorded in some remote parts of the provinces of Nampula in the north of Mozambique and Zambezia in the center.
At least 16 people were arrested between May and November in Sofala province in central Mozambique for spreading erroneous information about cholera, Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda said, saying lies about the disease had led to lynchings and destruction.
Rumors about the origins of the disease “harm the physical integrity of those willing to help solve the problem, as well as damage public and private infrastructure such as health centers, police stations and public housing,” he said in a statement. November, Minister of the Interior of Mozambique.
Cholera is a treatable disease that causes severe diarrhea and can lead to death from dehydration if not treated promptly.
The disease is largely caused by eating contaminated food and water due to lack of sanitation facilities.
In May, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that there would be a global shortage of cholera vaccines by 2025 and that one billion people in 43 countries could be infected with the disease, citing Mozambique in October as having one of the highest incidence rates. countries at risk.
Mozambique is considered one of the countries hardest hit by climate change in the world, a situation that is worsening the resilience of infrastructure and services that prevent the disease.