Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province has declared a cholera outbreak following flooding triggered by a tropical storm that pummelled the region last week.
Provincial health director Anastácia Lidimo announced on Friday, 3 May 2019, that 11 cases of cholera have been registered in the region’s capital Pemba, while three others have been reported in nearby Mecufi district.
According to the official, the region has recorded an increase in diarrhoeal cases since 25 April 2019, with 69 people currently admitted at health facilities in the area for monitoring.
“Due to lack of accessibility, the full extent of damage to the health system and the heightened health risks are not yet known,” Lidimo said.
Cyclone Kenneth tore into the province of Cabo Delgado last week, with rains and winds of up to 280 kilometres per hour. The cyclone had, by Thursday, 2 May 2019, claimed at least 41 lives and destroyed infrastructure across the region.
This was the second major storm to hit the southern African nation in just over a month, after Cyclone Idai, which devastated the Sofala province in March.
Cyclone Idai left 602 dead and tens of thousands of others displaced in Mozambique.
– APA
