Cholera cases – On Friday, Mayotte reported its first three locally acquired cases of the disease, adding to the 10 imported cases detected over the last month.
After the number of patients doubled in 48 hours, the situation of the medical staff at Mayotte’s main hospital was “very critical”, said Olivier Brahic, director of the ARS health authority. ARS said it had opened a second cholera unit at the hospital after the first unit, with a capacity for 14 people, became overwhelmed. Cholera is an infectious disease that often causes severe diarrhea, vomiting and muscle cramps, and spreads easily in unsanitary conditions.Cholera cases
Cholera cases
ARS has announced a campaign to identify more cases, administer antibiotics and vaccinate people. Mayotte’s imported cases come mainly from neighboring Comoros, which has been battling a cholera epidemic since the beginning of the year.
Many migrants travel through the Comoros on their way to Mayotte from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is facing a cholera epidemic that killed hundreds of people last year.Cholera cases
Mayotte is an island and the poorest French department located north of Madagascar, near the Comoros Islands, where there is a cholera epidemic. Infectious diarrheal disease caused by bacteria can, in severe cases, be fatal within hours if untreated, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Cholera is transmitted through contaminated food or water and often affects communities without access to clean water. Most cases are asymptomatic, but people infected with the bacteria can still infect others because it is present in their stool.
Mayotte is France’s 101st and poorest administrative region and anti-immigrant groups have launched protests against the new arrivals despite Paris’ promise to tighten citizenship rules. Mayotte, part of the Comoros archipelago, voted to remain part of France in 1974 when the other three islands sought and gained independence.Cholera cases
