While ten cases of cholera have been identified for almost a month in Mayotte, the authorities are doing everything to stem the spread of the disease.
- Mayotte has recorded its tenth confirmed case of cholera since March 18, the date of the first patient recorded. The latest new cases of cholera were “identified at the administrative detention center (CRA)”, the authorities announced.
- According to Mayotte La 1ère, “all the people suffering from the disease came from the neighboring Comoros archipelago”, where there is a cholera epidemic with already 995 cases and 26 deaths recorded since the start of the year.
- 441 ‘contact’ people of confirmed cases were vaccinated in order to stem the spread of the disease.
Is the epidemic still preventable? Mayotte has recorded its tenth confirmed case of cholera since March 18, the date of the first patient recorded. This was announced by the Regional Health Agency (ARS) and the prefecture of the overseas department on Monday, April 15, in a newscast on the evolution of the disease on the island, which will be published weekly “at a minimum”.
Stop the spread of cholera cases
The latest new cases of cholera were “identified at the administrative detention center and taken care of accordingly”. According to Mayotte La 1ère, “all the people with the disease came from the Comoros archipelago” neighbor, where there is a cholera epidemic with already 995 cases and 26 deaths recorded since the beginning of the year. Some of them, arrested at sea by the authorities, are “originating from Congo” and were “certainly passed through the Comoros”, according to police comments reported by AFP. Many refugees, fleeing East Africa in particular, transit through the archipelago before reaching Mayotte to request asylum.
In their press release, the ARS and the prefecture specify that 441 ‘contact’ people of confirmed cases have been vaccinated in order to stem the spread of the disease, and that 60 close ‘contact’ people have been “treated”. Mayotte La 1ère however reminds that the stocks of vaccines against cholera are today “boundaries”the authorities not having “only 1,800 doses”.
#Health | The prefecture and the@arsdemayotte today published a first information bulletin, listing in particular the number of confirmed cholera cases in the territory.
????️More information: https://t.co/pZ557jXgiP pic.twitter.com/XIO91E0gmg
— Prefect of Mayotte (@Prefet976) April 15, 2024
Faced with the resurgence of cases in the Comoros archipelago, the ARS presented a response plan in February in the event of introduction of the disease into Mayotte. Border health controls and medical interventions on the ground have been strengthened, and a “hospital care circuit” secure has been put in place.
Millions of cases of cholera identified each year
Nearly three million cases of cholera are recorded each year worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This epidemic diarrheal disease is transmitted by ingestion of water or food contaminated by the stools of an infected person. “In the absence of treatment, in its most severe manifestations, cholera is one of the most rapidly fatal infectious diseases: death occurs within one to three days, due to cardiovascular collapse in 25 to 50% of cases. “, underlines the Pasteur Institute.
To limit the risks of transmission, the ARS and the prefecture recommend washing your hands regularly and drinking only potable water. And, in the event of symptoms, isolate yourself, immediately call 15 and hydrate.
