Mozambique: 2.2 million vaccinated against cholera in five days

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Mozambique: 2.2 million vaccinated against cholera in five days

8:08 CAT | 16 Jan 2024

Image: UNICEF Mozambique

Mozambique’s health authorities vaccinated more than 2.2 million people against cholera in five days in the districts most affected by the current outbreak of the disease, corresponding to practically full coverage compared to the programme.

Speaking to Lusa on Monday, the head of the Ministry of Health’s Expanded Vaccination Programme, Leonildo Nhampossa, said that a total of 2,268,548 people over the age of one had been vaccinated against cholera in four provinces between 8 and 12 January.

This “corresponds to 100% coverage. The objectives were fully achieved,” he said.

The target group for this vaccination operation was 2,271,136 people, corresponding to the population living in the most vulnerable and hotspot areas for the current outbreak, the Ministry of Health previously stated.

According to information from the National Directorate of Public Health, this campaign was aimed at the population aged one year and over and was carried out in the districts of Chiúre and Montepuez (Cabo Delgado province), Gilé, Gurué and Mocuba (Zambézia), Mágoe, Moatize and Zumbo (Tete) and Maringue (Sofala).

This vaccination campaign employed 1,136 teams, with 7,337 staff, including vaccinators, mobilisers, registrars, supervisors, coordinators, data entry staff, logisticians and drivers, among others, and cost around $1.3 million (€1.19 million euros), including funds from the state and Mozambique’s cooperation partners.

The Mozambican health authorities recorded almost 270 new cases of cholera across the country in one week, according to official data from the Ministry of Health consulted today by Lusa.

According to the most recent bulletin on the progression of the disease, drawn up by the National Directorate of Public Health and with data up to 12 January, there have been 9,264 cases of cholera in the country since 1 October, with 25 deaths.

In the space of a week, there have been no deaths from cholera, but almost 500 new cases of the disease have been confirmed across the country, according to the bulletin.

The lethality rate caused by this outbreak remains at 0.3%, according to the bulletin, which identifies nearly 30 districts with active cholera cases.

The province most affected by the current wave of this cholera outbreak is Nampula (north), with a total of 2,956 cases and 12 deaths, followed by Tete (north-west), with 1,878 cases and six deaths.

This campaign involved vaccination at fixed posts in health units and mobile brigades in previously established places of high population concentration, such as markets, football grounds, rally sites, administrative headquarters, localities and others.

Source: Lusa