Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambique is no longer facing an outbreak of cholera, but an epidemic, the National Director of Public Health, Quinhas Fernandes, warned at a Maputo press conference on Thursday.
“The country has an epidemic. That’s clear because we have several outbreaks in several places”, said Fernandes. “The definition of an epidemic is when we have several outbreaks at the same time. So yes, we have an epidemic”.
From 3 October 2025 to 17 February this year, 5,661 cases of cholera were diagnosed. Fernandes said that 71 of these cases had died. Only 19 of the deaths took place in health units – 52 died in their communities,
The provinces worst hit are Nampula and Tete, with 2,445 and 2,141 cases respectively. Most of the cases diagnosed are in the northern and central provinces, but one case was diagnosed in the Maputo urban district of KaTembe, and one in Chicumbane, in the southern province of Gaza.
“Both these cases were identified a month after the heavy rainfall that caused floods in Maputo and Gaza. Both patients progressed satisfactorily and have therefore been discharged. This is a positive development for us as health authorities”, Fernandes said.
Fernandes announced that 3.5 million doses of cholera vaccine are available for mass vaccination in the four worse affected districts – Tete city and Moatize in Tete province, and Erati and Nacala-Port in Nampula.
Multi-disciplinary teams have been sent to the two provinces to halt the spread of the disease, and prepare the mass vaccination.
Fernandes also announced that the number of cases of malaria diagnosed in the first six weeks of this year was 1.3 million, which compares with 876,000 in the same period last year.
All provinces had registered an increase in malaria cases, with the exception of Cabo Delgado in the far north, where there had been a reduction of around 40 per cent.
Despite the increase in the number of cases, fewer people had died of malaria this year than in 2025. Fernandes said there had been a reduction in malaria-related deaths of 38 per cent.
“In the first six weeks of last year, there were 79 deaths compared to 49 this year. To contain the spread of the disease, especially during this period marked by floods, the Health Ministry has established 59 health posts in accommodation centres, where 1,200 people have already been treated for malaria”, he said.
Fernandes added that, in response to the disease, 26,000 mosquito nets have been distributed in Gaza and Maputo provinces and Maputo City.
“We are bringing forward the universal distribution of mosquito nets, which had been scheduled for August. We are making a great effort to see if we can complete this distribution in the first half of this year, between April and June”, he said.
This campaign will only cover Gaza and Inhambane provinces. Alongside the distribution of mosquito nets, the health authorities intend to spray insecticides against mosquitoes in six districts of Maputo province and 11 in Gaza.
Source: AIM
