Two weeks ago, Cyclone Idai devastated part of East Africa. In just a few hours, the winds and floods killed at least 400 people. A cataclysm described as “the worst humanitarian disaster in Mozambique” by President Filipe Nyusi.
In Mozambique, Cyclone Idai was unleashed on the night of March 14 to 15, 2019. But after considerable material destruction, the risk is now on the health side: according to UNICEF, the current conditions of “stagnant water, lack of hygiene, decomposing bodies and overcrowding in temporary centres” are conducive to epidemics of cholera, malaria and diarrhoea. “There is very little time to prevent the spread of opportunistic diseases. »
Precisely: at least 139 cases of cholera were recorded in Mozambique after Cyclone Idai, according to a report provided this Thursday, March 28, 2019 by the National Director of Health, Ussein Isse. A (little) good news all the same: “so far, no one has died of cholera”.
A vaccination campaign against cholera will soon begin in Mozambique
A vast vaccination campaign against cholera will be launched in Mozambique from the beginning of April, announced the World Health Organization (WHO). One million doses of the vaccine are expected in the country and 9 cholera treatment centers have been set up in the province of Sofala (in the center of the country).
As a reminder, according to the Institut Pasteur, cholera is an epidemic diarrheal disease caused by a bacterium: it is easily transmitted through the absorption by the mouth of contaminated water or food. Once in the intestine, the pathogens secrete a toxin, responsible for the significant dehydration that characterizes the infection. In the absence of treatment, death occurs in 1 to 3 days.
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