Cholera persists in Nampula, but number of cases falling – aimnews.org

Maputo, 5 April (AIM) – The cholera outbreak in the province of Nampula, northern Mozambique, persists, but the number of cases is decreasing, according to the latest bulletin from the Ministry of Health.

The outbreak is now active in ten of Nampula’s 23 districts. No cholera deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, but 19 new cases were diagnosed. Eight of them were in the Ilha de Moçambique district

There was a cumulative total of 172 cases on the Island of Mozambique, of which 17 are hospitalized. Considering the province as a whole, 29 patients are currently hospitalized with cholera.

The total number of cases diagnosed in Nampula province since the start of the outbreak is 3,623, of which 39 have died. Nine of the known deaths occurred in health facilities and 30 in communities.

The hardest hit district is Nacala with 1,826 cases and 17 deaths. Currently five cholera patients remain hospitalized in Nacala.

The most recent statistics indicate that almost exactly 50 percent of cases (1,867) are men, while 1,824 are women. 48 percent of patients are over 15 years old, while children under five years old represent only 25 percent of cases.

Health authorities continue to call for strict observance of individual and collective hygiene measures, taking special care to avoid contamination of food and drinking water.
(AIM)
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