8 October 2008
Maputo — A cholera outbreak in the town of Cuamba, in the northern Mozambican province of Niassa, has killed 12 of the 277 people diagnosed with the disease so far, according to a report in Wednesday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias".
The local health authorities say that, despite all the logistical support from the government and its partners, they are still facing serious difficulties in dealing with the situation, partly due to disinformation by "some political circles".
Laisson Daniel, director of the Cuamba district health services, said that the main cause of the cholera outbreak is the poor supply of drinking water in the town, together with poor hygiene habits. The outbreak began in late August, and this is the first time that Cuamba has been struck by cholera outside of the rainy season.
The town is going through a serious water crisis. "In the few rivers where one can still find some water, it is highly contaminated, but this is the only alternative for the residents, because the wells have completely dried up", said Daniel.
He added that, in order to minimise the effects of this situation, the authorities have been using tractors to transport water in tanks to supply the residents, particularly in centres with large concentrations of people, such as schools, health units, and prisons.
An average of seven people suffering from cholera are being admitted to the Cuamba Rural Hospital every day, which the authorities regard as a very high figure.
Commenting on the disinformation, Daniel said that "we have reported cases of attacks on our technicians, who have been accused of spreading cholera among the communities on the orders of the government, allegedly to test a new vaccine against cholera".
"On the other hand, people are reluctant to use the chlorine that we distribute, with the support of Doctors Without Borders (a European NGO) to disinfect water fetched from the rivers, and this contributes to worsening the outbreak", he added.
Daniel further added that the majority of the 12 deaths occurred in the areas where the disinformation is most serious.
Previous cholera outbreaks in Niassa have also seen attacks on health staff, and claims, attributed to members of the former rebel movement Renamo, that the government is deliberately spreading the disease.
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