Maputo — The supposedly mysterious disease that has been claiming victims in Tsangano district, in the western Mozambican province of Tete, has been identified as typhoid fever, reports Friday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias".

The disease has struck an area near the Malawian border. 111 people are known to have contracted it, 17 of whom have died.

The disease was identified after a joint investigation by medical teams from Mozambique, Malawi and the United States Centre for Disease Control (CDC).

Explaining the findings of the teams, Ministry of Health spokesperson Leonardo Chavane told reporters that typhoid has a high lethality rate, particularly when it is not treated immediately.

Because poor hygiene and infected water spread the disease through faecal contamination, teams of health workers are now in Tsangano, educating the local population on how to treat water so that it becomes safe to drink, and on the hygiene measures necessary to avoid infection.

As for the Mozambican outbreak of swine flu (or, to give it its scientific name, H1N1 influenza), Chavane said the situation is stationary. Over the past week, a further two suspected cases were identified, bringing the total to 130.

However, only 57 cases have been confirmed, and to date there have been two deaths.