While more than a million people struggle to recover from the devastation caused by Cyclone Idai across Mozambique and neighboring countries in southeastern Africa, they are now facing another crisis – an outbreak of cholera.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with the toxigenic bacterium Vibrio cholerae, A person can get the infection by drinking water or eating food contaminated with the cholera bacterium.
The severe flooding brought about by the cyclone that slammed into the port city of Beira not only left vast stretches of land under water but destroyed vital infrastructure, including water systems. Survivors are now facing catastrophic hygiene conditions while crammed into makeshift camps.
With support from @gavi, 900,000 doses of oral #cholera vaccine from the global stockpile for emergency use are on their way to #Mozambique to help contain the spread of this infectious disease #CycloneIdai pic.twitter.com/gddHBzxXiW
— OMSMocambique (@OMSMocambique) March 28, 2019
Beira is the country’s fourth largest city and is situated in the central region of the country in Sofala Province, where the Pungwe River meets the Indian Ocean. The city has a population of 530,604 according to the 2019 census. The storm destroyed “90 percent” of Beira, reported the New York Times.
To underscore the seriousness of the cholera outbreak, health officials say that over the weekend, the number of cholera cases has more than doubled, rising to 271 cases in just 48 hours. There are also suspected cases reported in the hard-hit areas of Buzi, Tica, and Nhamathanda.
WHO is supporting the #Mozambique Ministry of Health and partners on the #cholera response in the aftermath of #CycloneIdai pic.twitter.com/DnTHrKRwdr
— OMSMocambique (@OMSMocambique) March 28, 2019
The Chinese government has sent doctors to battle the cholera outbreak in Beira, while Chinese aid workers began spraying anti-cholera disinfectant in parts of Beira Sunday. At least 50 health centers in the city were destroyed by the cyclone, and this has hindered getting healthcare to those who are in need.
The World Health Organization has sent 900,000 oral cholera vaccine doses to Beira that are expected to arrive on Monday. The vaccines will hopefully help to limit the outbreak. And as waters continue to recede, officials say the death toll from the flooding of two weeks ago is expected to rise.
