The cholera outbreak was confirmed on Wednesday in the aftermath of a violent cyclone Idai which killed 500 people as it swept across four of Mozambique’s central provinces before it tore into neighboring where it killed hundreds of other people and destroyed key infrastracture:
The promise was made by the WHO representative in Mozambique, Djamila Cabral, at a media briefing in Maputo late on Saturday: when presented a review of the role played by the UN agency since Idai:
“Between now and Monday, 28,000 liters of the serum necessary for the treatment of cholera will arrive in the country and if necessary we will request more,” said Cabral, noting that WHO is working with the Ministry of Health (WHO) and partners to create an entire system to immediately detect an outbreak and respond immediately.
Following the cyclone, more than 140,000 people were saved from drowning during the rescue operation, whose term formally ended on Friday: The more than 840,000 affected now live in accommodation centers, after the cyclone devastated 99,000 shelters. However, following the cyclone, the city of Beira is now struggling with the cholera outbreak:
Cholera is an often-deadly intestinal disease caused by drinking water or food tainted with sewage and human waste carrying the bacteria Vibrio cholerae. Reports indicate that there are 139 cases of cholera in the port city Beira, Mozambique, and that number is expected to rise but no cases have been reported yet in Zimbabwe or Malawi while there are no confirmed deaths from cholera so far.