Maputo — The Mozambican Health Ministry has announced the launch, as of Monday, of a mass vaccination campaign against cholera, in the provinces most affected by the disease.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, the Deputy National Director of Public Health, Benigna Matsinhe, said that last year's cholera outbreak had slowed down between July and September.

"The situation had been minimized', she said, "but in October the disease reappeared, and currently cases of cholera are being reported from six provinces'.

The most critical situation, Matinhe added, is in Cabo Delgado, Tete, Zambezia and Sofala provinces. Since October, about 8,400 people have been diagnosed with cholera, and over the past three months 20 people have died from the disease.

Matsinhe said the Ministry hopes the vaccination campaign will reach more than 2.2 million people between Monday and Friday.

The campaign will target nine critical districts - Chiure and Montepuez in Cabo Delgado, Gile. Gurue, Milange and Mocuba in Zambezia, and Moatize, Magoe and Zumbo in Tete.

The vaccine will be given in health units, in markets and other places where large numbers of people gather, and by teams going from door to door. More than 7,000 health workers have been trained for this campaign. The target population is anyone over one year of age.

Matsinhe blamed poor hygiene and sanitation for the latest cholera outbreak. In much of the country, she said, access to clean water remains insufficient, and many people defecate in the open, rather than using latrines.

"Everything that leads to poor sanitation is a risk for health, causing cholera and other water-borne diseases', said Matsinhe.