Cholera: an unprecedented situation for 10 years in Mozambique

THE cholera is a acute infectious disease which spreads rapidly in areas where drinking water, sanitation and hygiene conditions are precarious. Cholera epidemics are relatively frequent in Mozambique between October and April, but this epidemic is particularly serious. According to the latest figures provided by WHOapproximately 21,000 people have been infected and 95 people have diedmaking this epidemic the largest for more than 10 years.

The WHO representative in Mozambique, Dr Severin Ritter von Xylander, told reporters in Geneva that this cholera outbreak was the biggest in more than a decade, with particularly serious consequences for the province of Manica, who had not experienced cholera for 15 years. He also pointed out that the epidemic continues to grow.expand geographically, hitting new districts every week. The port town of Quelimane is one of the hardest hit by the cholera outbreak, with 132 people admitted to treatment centers in the past 24 hours. The number of cases exploded and multiplied by ten. The city was deprived of water and electricity for 14 days, which worsened the already precarious health situation (source 1).

Faced with this situation, the authorities have launched several vaccination campaigns against the disease. The first campaign took place in late February in four provinces, targeting more than 715,000 people. The second vaccination campaign was launched on Thursday in Quelimane, targeting 410,000 people, while other campaigns are planned in the provinces of Manica and Sofala. In total, more than 1.35 million people are targeted by these vaccination campaigns.