A three-year-old child died of cholera in Mayotte. This is the first death since the start of the epidemic last March.
- In Mayotte, a three-year-old child died of cholera.
- This is the first death since the detection of the first case on the island on March 19.
- According to the latest report from the Regional Health Agency, 58 cases have been identified.
Cholera claims its first victim. Thursday May 8, a three-year-old child died of the disease in Mayotte. The first cases were detected in mid-March on the Indian Ocean archipelago. “The child lived in the Koungou district in which several cases of cholera had been identified in recent weeks, and which had focused intervention efforts, particularly vaccination.”indicates the prefecture of Mayotte in a communicated.
More than 50 cases of cholera recorded in Mayotte
According to the latest report from the Mayotte Regional Health Agency, published on May 6, 58 cases have been recorded since mid-March, six of which were still active. “Cholera is an epidemic diarrheal disease, strictly human, caused by the ingestion of water or food contaminated by bacteria belonging to serogroups O1 and O139 of the species Vibrio cholerae.explains Ministry of Health. He emphasizes that high population concentrations, associated with poor environmental hygiene and poor sanitation, can encourage the appearance of cases. For 20 years, epidemics “sporadic and limited” appear in Mayotte and Guyana.
How is cholera treated?
The disease manifests itself with violent diarrhea and vomiting. “In the absence of treatment, in its most severe manifestations, cholera is one of the most rapidly fatal infectious diseases: death occurs within 1 to 3 days, due to cardiovascular collapse in 25 to 50% of cases.alerts himPastor Institute. Frail people, the elderly and children are most at risk of death.
Therefore, it is essential to treat the disease as quickly as possible, by compensating “digestive losses of water and electrolytes”. “Rehydration is provided orally or intravenously, depending on the degree of dehydration, develops the Pasteur Institute. The improvement is noticeable after a few hours and healing, without after-effects, is achieved within a few days.” Antibiotic treatment is reserved for severe cases.
Cholera: an increase in cases across the world
According to the Pasteur Institute, improving access to drinking water and adopting hygiene measures as well as “mobilization sanitary” in the event of an epidemic would help reduce the impact of the disease. “But it is foreseeable that this increase in the level of hygiene will not be achieved for several decades in countries affected by cholera., warns the Institute. In fact, the disease remains a global health issue. In September 2023, the World Health Organization reported a resurgence of cholera across the world in a communicated. “Although data on cholera remains insufficient, the number of cases reported to WHO in 2022 more than doubled compared to 2021specified the organization. Forty-four countries reported cases, an increase of 25% from the 35 countries that reported cases in 2021.” It is estimated that the disease affects between 1.3 and 4 million people each year.
