Maputo — 37 people have died of cholera in Mozambique since the start of the current outbreak last December, according to Health Minister Armindo Tiago, cited in Thursday's issue of the independent newssheet "Mediafax".

To date, the number of cases diagnosed is 5,260, mostly in the northern province of Niassa. But cases have also been detected in the central provinces of Tete, Zambezia and Sofala and the southern province of Gaza.

Speaking on Wednesday at a meeting in Maputo to assess the cholera and polio situation in the country, led by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tiago said "surveillance is under way in all districts of the country to ensure early detection of cholera, and implementation of control measures".

To break the chain of contamination, the Minister added, a vaccination campaign against cholera will be held, as from next Monday, in the four provinces where the situation is regarded as of most concern. The campaign will be run in eight districts - Sanga, Lago, Lichinga, Mecanhelas and Mandimba in Niassa; Milange in Zambezia; Caia in Sofala and Xai-Xai in Gaza.

The campaign will last for five days and will cover the entire population aged one year and above. The Health Ministry calculates that this will be a total of 719,240 individuals.

As for polio, Tiago said that in 2022 the country had notified 932 cases, compared with 473 in 2021. "Of the 932 cases notified, 33 were positive for polio, and eight were of the wild polio type (PSV1), identified in Tete".

Last year, six rounds of vaccination against polio were carried out, and three more rounds are planned for this year, throughout the country.

Regional WHO Director Matshidiso Moeti told the meeting "the good news is that no case of polio has been notified in the last 150 days".