“As of May 15, 2024, 85 cases of cholera have been reported in Mayotte since the first case on March 18, 2024, of which 68 are indigenous cases and 17 were imported from the Comoros or countries on the African continent,” indicates the health agency. public in a weekly epidemiological update. A previous report, delivered by Minister Delegate for Health Frédéric Valletoux on Tuesday afternoon to the National Assembly, reported 76 cases.
The epidemic left one dead, a three-year-old girl, and seven cases requiring intensive care. The vast majority of cases (61) were detected in the commune of Koungou, in a precarious neighborhood with difficulties in accessing drinking water and poor sanitation, the main risks of spreading the disease, recalls Public Health France.
Cases from the Comoros
“This community transmission of cholera in Koungou and the risk of importing new cases of cholera from the Comoros expose Mayotte to a risk of local transmission throughout the territory, particularly in other precarious neighborhoods,” underlines this source. A new outbreak was reported three days ago in the commune of M’tzangamouji. A protocol to prevent the spread of the disease provides for the disinfection of the patient’s home, the identification and treatment of contact cases and a “ring” vaccination, gradually expanded.
As of May 13, 4,456 contact cases had been vaccinated on the island, specifies the agency, which participates in particular in the acquisition and sending of vaccines from the mainland. On the ground, 86 volunteers from the health reserve, managed by Public Health France, have been mobilized since mid-April, including 54 specifically on cholera, to strengthen caregivers in Mayotte.
Need for health reservists
“As some of these missions are coming to an end soon (a mission generally lasts one month), a new recruitment campaign for reservists is underway,” explains the health agency. The first cases of cholera in Mayotte were recorded in mid-March among people returning from neighboring Comoros, where the epidemic is flaring. The first cases in patients who had not left the island appeared at the end of April.
Cholera, a bacterial disease that can cause acute diarrhea and lead to death from dehydration within one to three days, is on the rise worldwide, primarily affecting poor countries and war zones. There are effective vaccines and treatments.