Mozambique: Cholera death toll in north rises to 16

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Mozambique: Cholera death toll in north rises to 16

8:07 CAT | 17 Jan 2023

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Lusa]

The number of deaths from cholera has risen to 16 in Mozambique, the health ministry (Misau) announced on Monday, warning of the spread of the disease in the country in view of the rainy season.

“We have a total of 1,376 cases of cholera and 16 deaths, which corresponds to a mortality rate of 1. 2%,” said Domingos Guiole, of the public health surveillance department at Misau, quoted by private television channel STV.

The official warned of the spread of the disease to all Mozambican provinces due to the “mobility of people and goods” and the ongoing rainy season in the country.

“The mobility of people and goods can mean that a case that is in Niassa province can move to Nampula province,” Domingos Guiole stressed.

The majority of deaths from cholera have been recorded in Niassa, in the north of the country, and the authorities suspect that the cases are imported from Malawi, which borders Mozambique and has recorded cases of the disease.

Mozambican president, Filipe Nyusi, on Sunday expressed concern over the cholera outbreak that has affected some Mozambican provinces, calling for a “redoubling of hygiene measures”.

Cholera is a disease that causes severe diarrhoea, which is treatable, but can cause death by dehydration if not promptly combated – and is caused largely by ingesting food and water contaminated by a lack of sanitation networks.

Mozambique, considered one of the countries most severely affected by climate change in the world, is in the middle of the rain and cyclone season, which occurs between the months of October and April, with winds coming from the Indian Ocean and floods originating in the southern African river basins.

Source: Lusa