Cholera outbreak erupts in central Mozambique after Cyclone Freddy – Africa

The Mozambican health minister announced that an outbreak of cholera had been declared in the city of Quelimane, in the center of the country, the most devastated by Cyclone Freddy and where the disease has killed six people since Wednesday.

“Provincial authorities must declare [o surto de] cholera and an Emergency Operational Center will be set up to guarantee the regular sharing of data”, said Armindo Tiago, in that city.

Data from the provincial authorities indicate that since Wednesday, of the more than 100 patients observed at the Cholera Treatment Center of the Quelimane Hospital, six have lost their lives.

Neighborhoods with precarious conditions, lack of drinking water, sanitation and hygiene conditions are what the authorities in Quelimane are most concerned about, especially after the destruction caused by Cyclone Freddy – which in the last week claimed 53 lives in Zambézia province.

Mozambique is one of 12 African countries affected by cholera, a disease associated with lack of basic sanitation that breaks out seasonally during the rainy season.

Since September 2022, the Portuguese-speaking country has already registered 54 deaths due to the disease and has more than 200 people hospitalized in treatment centers opened in places where outbreaks are declared.

The Mozambican government, in coordination with the World Health Organization, has an ongoing vaccination campaign expected to cover 720,000 people across the country.

The WHO warns that the outbreak of cholera is being exacerbated by “extreme weather events and conflicts that have increased vulnerabilities as people are forced to flee their homes and face precarious living conditions”.