Mozambique’s Cyclone Idia on March 14th has led to Cholera outbreak in the city endangering the lives of hundreds of people in what could have turned into an epidemic.
The New Leam Staff
After the dreadful cyclone of March 14th 2019, Mozambique has reported its first death from Cholera. The port city of Beira in Mozambique was hit by cyclone Idai that resulted into massive flooding and killing more than 700 people across the city.
The cyclone resulted in displacement of hundreds and thousands of people by further exposing them to unhygienic living condition, improper sanitation facilities and contaminated water. As a result of this unhealthy and unfortunate exposure the city has been gripped in the claws of several diseases and the one which can cause an epidemic is Cholera.
The National Director of medical assistance took to the medium of television to inform the public that the number of cholera cases have been increased to 517 on Sunday from the 271 that were reported on Saturday. Till now one death due to cholera has been reported and as per official claims Mozambique might soon witness a huge epidemic due to the disease.
Cholera is a communicable disease which is spreads through contaminated water and unhygienic sanitation condition. The cyclone has already caused a worst damage by affecting the lives of nearly 1.8 million people.
More than 146,000 people have been displaced from their homes and are left with no option than living in make shift camps (nearly 161 camps have been constructed) which do not have any basic facility. The city is functioning without electricity and water ever since the cyclone has hit. While the entire city is immersed in water which is of no use apart from becoming a dangerous cause of disease and infections, the people of the state are dying due to the lack of drinking water.
A vaccination campaign has been initiated by World Health Organisation and is supposed to start by Wednesday as 900,000 doses of Cholera vaccines are due to arrive in the city.
Other countries and international organisation are coming forward to help the state to tackle the period of distress. Health workers from Portugal, Denmark, Itlay, China have come to provide medical assistance and care to the people who are affected. International Federation of the Red Cross is helping by establishing field hospitals in Nhamatanda and is also distributing relief supplies.
U.S military has extended their support by airlifting relief and food supplies for the people of Mozambique. Relief measures have been adopted and people are constantly working on it to save the country from dying due to a large epidemic.
This is not the first time that cholera outbreak has occurred in South Africa, in fact it occurred in 2018 and more than 2000 people were infected before it could be controlled.
