Preliminary results of Nampula survey: All neighbourhoods in the capital exhibit community transmission

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Preliminary results of Nampula survey: All neighbourhoods in the capital exhibit community transmission

3:53 CAT | 02 Jul 2020

FILE PHOTO: Recent photo of a Nampula city market. [File photo: O País]

Market vendors are the Nampula professional group most exposed to the new coronavirus, preliminary results of an epidemiological survey presented on Wednesday reveal, and Covid-19 has spread to all the capital’s neighbourhoods

The survey was conducted over a period of 10 days and covered a total of 6,272 individuals of all age groups. Preliminary data presented this Wednesday reveal that there is transmission of the new coronavirus in all neighbourhoods of the city, with Natikire and Nametequeliua having the highest prevalence (12% and 11% respectively).

By profession, market vendors are the most exposed to Covid-19.

“Market vendors present, in an expressive and significant way, greater exposure. Ten percent of market vendors have recently been exposed to the coronavirus. In terms of the general population, sero-prevalence is 5%. Looking at the other groups, sero-prevalence in commercial establishments is 5%, which means that 5% of people in business establishments have recently been exposed to the virus or have recently been infected with the virus. We have 6% of police officers, and 7% of health professionals,” deputy national director of the National Health Institute Eduardo Samo Gudo revealed.

Public and private transport drivers and ticket collectors were the least exposed group, with 3%, while the 15-to-59 year-old age group showed the highest probability of infection.

The survey results should help municipal authorities, central and provincial governments and the health sector contain community transmission.

“Based on the results of this survey, priority actions are already underway, such as: the intensification of market reorganisation actions in the city of Nampula; the strengthening of hygiene and sanitation actions in the city; implementation of a hygiene and disinfection package aimed at households with cases of Covid-19; accelerated implementation of plan to improve access to water, in coordination with the competent authorities; opening a Covid-19 call centre in Nampula in the first half of July; starting Covid-19 testing at the Public Health Laboratory in Nampula in the second half of the same month; launching a campaign to combat stigma and discrimination against Covid-19 sufferers; and launching the Covid-19 national community response strategy locally,” Minister of Health Armindo Tiago detailed.

The release of the preliminary survey results comes 25 days after Nampula was declared the first site with Covid-19 community transmission in Mozambique.

By Ricardo Machava

Source: O País