Mozambican Health Minister Armindo Tiago announced on Thursday that a cholera outbreak has been declared in Quelimane, the cyclone-battered capital of the central province of Zambezia.
Since Wednesday, he said, six people are known to have died of cholera in Quelimane. An Emergency Operational Centre will be set up in the city, he added, to guarantee regular sharing of data.
Data from the Zambezia provincial authorities indicate that more than 100 patients were observed since Wednesday at the cholera treatment centre in Quelimane Central Hospital, six of whom lost their lives.
Cyclone Freddy hit Quelimane last Saturday worsening hygiene and sanitation conditions that were already precarious.
Cholera has already struck at several other provinces, including Niassa, Tete, Sofala, Gaza and Inhambane. Since September last year, 54 deaths from cholera have been notified.
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