Cholera kills 15 in Mozambique

2007-11-13 20:02

Pemba - Fifteen people have died and hundreds of others have been admitted to hospital after an outbreak of cholera in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, say health authorities.

Quinhas Fernandes, the provincial chief doctor, said that at least 400 new cases had been reported in the past two weeks in Cabo Delgado.

He said: "Cholera is always an emergency situation, it's still under control, but we are going to boost campaigns ... in order to avoid its rapid spread."

Last year, more than 44 000 cases of cholera were recorded in the province. More than 39 000 cases had been recorded since January this year, said officials.

The new outbreak had been blamed on contaminated water and poor sanitary conditions. Cholera was an extreme diarrheal disease caused by ingesting contaminated water or food.

Fernandes said most of the people had been drinking water from shallow rivers and wells that were close to toilets.

Health authorities in Cabo Delgado had warned that the outbreak could rise as the rainy season reached its peak, particularly in the Impirre district, where most of the 15 deaths took place.

- Reuters