Cholera kills eight in Zambezia

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Cholera kills eight in Zambezia

4:34 CAT | 17 Mar 2023

FILE PHOTO - For illustration purposes only

In the last few days, at least eight people have died of cholera out of a total of 614 confirmed cases in Zambezia province, central Mozambique.

Health Minister Armindo Tiago, who confirmed the outbreak this Thursday, said that individual and collective hygiene measures in temporary accommodation centres and communities is key to stopping the rapid spread of the disease.

He therefore urges the population to improve water treatment, avoid handshakes, wash food properly and keep bathrooms and backyards clean, all basic measures to prevent cholera from spreading to other households.

“What we must do is ensure compliance with cholera prevention measures, treat water with Certeza (disinfectant), boil water for consumption, clean and wash food properly, carry out the correct sanitation of our garbage with particular emphasis on human waste, and go to health facilities if we have of diarrhoea or vomiting,” he stressed.

In turn, the chief physician at Quelimane Central Hospital, Isaías Mate, said that, after the passage of cyclone ‘Freddy’, the hospital had seen an increase in the number of patients arriving, especially with diarrhoea.

To confirm the exact condition of these patients, 15 samples were collected in inpatient centres in the last 48 hours, of which 13 had tested positive.

“In terms of numbers I wanted to say that at the level of our two treatment centres (…) we have cumulatively 614 cases. Since we had this diagnosis, we have seen 360 discharged, but also unfortunately recorded eight deaths,” Mate reported.

Data held by AIM indicate that the country has a cumulative total of 9,060 cholera cases, resulting in 55 deaths, and 8,732 discharged. In the last 24 hours, 186 new cases, 135 discharges and one further fatality have been reported.

Source: AIM