The Nassunge River is rich with sardines, the daily source of income for Noor Amade. He sells the fish directly at the small market in Icidua, a poor community on the outskirts of Quelimane, capital of the province of Zambezia in central Mozambique.
Amade has to feed a family of nine children and he works hard to make a living. People gather around his plastic bags full of sardines and Amade is happy with the day’s business. His customers carry the fish in plastic bowls on their heads back to their simple homes made of wood, clay and topped with dried palm leaves. Just like Amade, they do not have any running water or sanitation in their houses, and live in a very unhealthy environment. This has resulted in a recent outbreak of cholera.
At the beginning, 20 cases were registered daily, reports Dr. Lucinda Macaringue, chief medical coordinator for the regional districts, and responsible for cholera treatment in the area. In the last month, she has treated a total of 360 cholera cases in Quelimane as well as in two other communities, Manaua and Acordos de Lusaka. “But the numbers are decreasing to about six to ten every day at the moment,” she explains, “and only in Icidua is the cholera flood-related.”
The heavy rains in this region have made a bad situation worse. The waters rose and the river overflowed, but the rainwater also accumulated for weeks in the potholes on each dirt path. The lack of latrines and sanitation forces thousands of people in that community to use the river banks along the road or the nearby salt fields.
When the rains fell and the area was flooded, the water level rose knee-high in the houses. Armad Eusebio’s family was lucky – this time their hut was not damaged too badly, but he remembers fetching his wife and children and seeking shelter on higher ground. Although his house is built directly on the river bank, he refuses to leave: “I have lived here for the past 20 years and I do not have money to build another house.” As many other inhabitants of the region, he does not have a job, and often his family goes hungry.
Dr. Lucinda Macaringue and Red Cross volunteers have been working with the community in Icidua since last October to raise awareness and inform the population on how to prevent cholera. “We need latrines,” she says. “If more rain falls, the situation will worsen again.” Red Cross volunteers handed out water purification tablets, but people often still use contaminated water.
The provincial hospital has no money or budget for the treatment of cholera patients. “We have enough medicine at the moment,” says Dr. Macaringue. The government has provided some material for the construction of latrines, which has not yet taken place. “And there is a need of cleansing material, gumboots, masks and other hygiene articles for volunteers who work in the community. Without these we can’t do anything.”
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The Nassunge River is rich with sardines, the daily source of income for Noor Amade. He sells the fish directly at the small market in Icidua, a poor community on the outskirts of Quelimane, capital of the province of Zambezia in central Mozambique. (p17414)
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His customers carry the fish in plastic bowls on their heads back to their simple homes made of wood, clay and topped with dried palm leaves. Just like Amade, they do not have any running water or sanitation in their houses, and live in a very unhealthy environment. This has resulted in a recent outbreak of cholera. (p17415)
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