APA-Nampula (Mozambique) The cholera outbreak in Mozambique has spread to a ninth province, with health authorities in Nampula region announcing on Thursday that the disease has affected over 150 cases in the area.
Nampula joins eight other Mozambican provinces – Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Niassa, Sofala, Tete and Zambezia – that have reported cholera outbreaks since the end of 2022.
At least 24,075 cases had been reported across the eight other provinces as of April 4.
Nampula chief provincial medical officer Celma Xavier said the majority of the cases have been recorded in Nacala Porto area where at least one person has so far died of the disease and an average of 15 cholera cases are being reported a day.
“We are undertaking activities to search for community cases and following up on positive cases to ensure the cases do not spread,” Xavier told journalists late Thursday.
She said the cases are mostly from the neighbourhoods of Matapue, Ontupaia and Mucone.
The official said the district of Nacala Porto has experienced a spike in diarrheal cases over the past two weeks, leading health authorities to send samples to the National Laboratory of Public Health where choleric vibrio was confirmed on April 1.
Some 32 patients are currently hospitalised in a treatment centre that has been set up at the Nacala Port District Hospital.
The outbreak comes in the wake of the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Freddy which destroyed water and other infrastructure across eight of Mozambique’s 10 provinces in February.
JN/APA