Maputo — The Mozambican health authorities have already recorded over 8,000 cases of conjunctivitis, since the disease has spread to seven provinces in less than a month.

The disease has been recorded in the northern provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula, and the central provinces of Zambezia and Sofala. It has now spread south to Inhambane, and Maputo city and province.

According to the national director of public health, Quinhas Fernandes, who was speaking to reporters on Monday, in Maputo, "At the moment, Zambezia province is among those with the most cases of conjunctivitis, but the government is working hard to ensure that the situation does not worsen'.

He explained that inadequate personal hygiene is a key factor in the spread of the disease, especially the failure to wash hands.

"There is a need to take care of hygiene, especially hand washing. Putting your hands to your face or exchanging personal items can be one of the ways in which the disease is spread. We must avoid this as much as possible', he said.

"Patients may need seven or 10 days to recover from the disease, which has already led to the hospitalization of one person in the city of Beira', he added.

For his part, the Deputy Health Minister, Ilesh Jani, who was speaking at the opening of the first meeting of experts on onchocerciasis, commonly known as "river blindness', Mozambique is vulnerable to outbreaks of this disease, which is caused by a parasitic worm transferred to victims by bites of the female blackfly of the genus Simulium. Infection by the worm can lead to blindness.

According to Jani, there are currently 32 African countries with registered cases, including two of Mozambique's neighbours, Malawi and Tanzania.

An epidemiological study carried out in 2019 in Niassa, Zambézia and Tete provinces showed that blackflies exist in these areas, and there is therefore potential for transmission of the disease.