Cholera outbreak in Inhaca island, Mozambique

The Inhaca Island located at 32 kilometers from the capital Maputo has been reporting increasing cases of cholera due to lack of safe water and the practice of non hygienic methods, the Maputo daily paper Noticias reports on Monday. According to local health unities at least 20 cases of cholera are treated every month but they fear that the number of cases could be more than the figures indicated because many patients do not seek for medical assistant when they are sick due to the long distances they have to walk to find one. The municipal district Health director, Isac Piassone, said that the residents of the island do not have the habit of building conventional latrines and do everything outdoors. This is combined with the consumption of unsafe water and they have very little options because the piped water coverage is very poor though the island only takes 5,000 inhabitants, Noticias says. Health authorities have started with sensitization campaigns to encourage citizens to use water purifiers boil water before drinking and use chemical products to disinfect fresh food products. In addition to diarrhoeas the citizens of Inhaca Island are struggling with the mosquito born disease malaria, with respiratory diseases and infections which are common among men because of the effort they do while fishing, their main income resource. Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS are also among the diseases of concern in the island. Last year 13,000 patients were assisted, according to statistics provided, and 700 people were tested while 14 percent are infected.