Officials: 36 Cholera deaths in Mozambique since January

Feb 26, 2010, 13:08 GMT

Maputo - At least 36 people in Mozambique have died of cholera since January, media in the south-east African country reported Friday, quoting health authorities.

The Noticias daily newspaper quoted the health ministry spokesman Leonardo Machava as saying that, between January 1 and February 24, five provinces had registered 1,968 cases of the disease, including 36 fatalities.

The provinces affected are Cabo Delgado, Niassa, Nampula, Zambezia and Sofala provinces which make up the centre and north of the impoverished country of around 21 million people.

'The situation in Zambezia, Niassa and Cabo Delgado is critical and needs a particular attention,' Chavane was quoted as saying.

Zambezia was the worst hit so far, with a total of 879 cases diagnosed and 17 deaths.

Cholera, a water-borne diarrhoeal disease, is endemic in Mozambique. The situation is aggravated by flooding during the summer rainy season, when sewage gets washed into water sources.

The government and non-government organizations are attempting to stem the spread of the disease by disinfecting well water with chlorine.

But this work has become hazardous in areas, where some people confuse cholera and chlorine and attack health workers who disinfect water with chlorine tablets, accusing them of planting cholera.

At least seven people were killed and several others injured earlier this month when a mob attacked a cholera treatment centre in Zambezia on such a premise.

In a similar attack last year, three Mozambique Red Cross volunteers were killed in Nampula province.