Mayotte must not only fight the Covid-19 pandemic. The spread of another disease worries health officials. The Mayotte Regional Health Agency (ARS) has indeed launched an alert, relayed by La 1ere, after a marked increase in typhoid fever cases. Since the beginning of the year, 18 cases have been identified. Half of them declared themselves in the village of Dzoumogné, in the north of the island.
Typhoid fever is characterized by fever, headache, loss of appetite, extreme tiredness, diarrhea or constipation. It can be fatal if complications arise and if left untreated.
Thirty cases per year
This disease is endemic to Mayotte. Thirty cases are identified each year. In 2019, 53 cases were reported by the ARS, including 21 in the commune of Koungou. The contaminations are said to originate in particular from wastewater management, sometimes associated with a lack of hygiene.
The bacteria at the source of the contamination "resides in the faeces of sick people, which can contaminate water or food eaten raw", details the ARS in its press release. This is why the agency carries out awareness-raising actions "on good hygiene practices". At the same time, it finances actions aimed at improving access to drinking water with the installation of water ramps or “standpipes”.
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