Mozambique Cholera Outbreak: Country's officials confirm 5 cases of cholera in Beira

World
Europe

02:17

In Mozambique, the risk of cholera is now a major concern in and around the coastal city of Beira, as the flood waters subside from Cyclone Idai. Makeshift camps are being established across the province and in the city to accommodate survivors. Angelo Coppola reports.

The government lead minister for Idai response efforts says that they are coping with the influx of survivors. Worryingly the country's national health director Ussein Isse, says there are now 2500 confirmed cases of accurate diarrhea, and five confirmed cholera cases.

CELSO CORREIA MINISTER OF LAND AND ENVIRONMENT, MOZAMBIQUE "We are having a big increase in the cases of diarrhea and we already identified five cases of cholera in the city of Beira, so this is something that is of concern to the government. And we have teams deployed all over the provinces in the affected areas."

The country's public health department is responsible for its hospitals and treatment centers with the help of aid agency's resources.

JUVENILE AMOS NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, MOZAMBIQUE "So from now every day we will have a right number of cases. Even not to say in the total cases of diarrhea some are not equal to cholera and others are cholera."

A cholera outbreak was a distinct probability and something authorities and aid agencies were planning for. A cholera treatment centre should be up and running on Wednesday, at the Beira central hospital.

JUVENILE AMOS NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, MOZAMBIQUE "Well, we are happy here. That's why we are just mounting this site, because the structure where we are attending patients now is a smaller size. So at the end of the day we will move all the patients from there to this site, so I think the situation will be better than there."

ANGELO COPPOLA BEIRA, MOZAMBIQUE "With just 5 cases reported this far, it's still early days. But the authorities take no chances."

CELSO CORREIA MINISTER OF LAND AND ENVIRONMENT, MOZAMBIQUE "We have around 170 thousand people in our camps. Most of them already have doctors there."

Angelo Coppola, CGTN in Beira, Mozambique.