Flood-hit Moz battles cholera outbreak
2013-02-13 14:57
Maputo - Aid workers in flood-hit Mozambique said they were
fighting to contain an outbreak of cholera on Wednesday, which has sickened 282
people.
Cholera had struck three districts, a United Nations
Children's Fund (Unicef) representative told AFP.
"We have 282 cases as of today," said Emanuele
Capobianco.
The outbreak happened as disaster officials battle floods
that have killed 109 people since the start of the rainy season in October and
affected at least 240 000 more.
No deaths from cholera had been reported so far, but
officials are on high alert.
Cholera is endemic to northern Mozambique and occurs during
the rainy season each year.
"At the moment I think the response is ok but we need
to keep a very close eye on it," Capobianco said.
"The rains are a factor that could worsen the situation
so we need extra caution from the ministry and all partners on the
ground," he said.
Rita Almeida, a spokesperson for the country’s disaster
management institute, said 240 000 people had been affected by the floods,
including 60 000 who had lost their homes.
Flood surge
The UN sources have put the number of those affected at 250 000.
Sprawling camps have been set up in the southern Gaza
province to accommodate the displaced.
Most of the 109 deaths have been attributed to a flood surge
that hit the region in late January.
But the impact of the floods is still being felt across the
country.
In northern Zambezia province thousands of vehicles have
been left stranded after heavy rains opened up a 25m wide crater on the
country's main north-south highway.
The crater continues to grow because of the rain, Daniel dos
Santos of Mozambique's national road authority told local media.
