Stamping out cholera in flood-affected communities in Mozambique

Buzi, Mozambique - In the flat green expanse of Sofala province, the Buzi river’s floodplain stretches out to the horizon. Farmers, attracted to these lands by the fertile soil, face the challenges of regular flooding and devastating cyclones.

“There is a problem here with the water since the cyclones. People have been facing difficulties getting clean water, and cholera is a serious issue,” says Augustinho Vasco, 32 years-old, a field officer for Doctors With Africa CUAMM.

Each morning at the local health facility, Augustinho collects a list of names and addresses of patients diagnosed with cholera. He will visit the house of each patient to speak with their family, and then go door-to-door talking with neighbours. Augustinho distributes bottles of Certeza water purifier, decontaminates latrines, hands out leaflets, and tells people to wash their vegetables and treat their water, among other key messages.

“People know something about cholera but not everything. We tell them that cholera is next door, and they need to take precautions,” says Augustinho.

Augustinho is describing an approach to preventing disease outbreaks called the case area targeted interventions (CATI) approach. It is a highly effective strategy that proactively focuses on containing the first clusters of cases by minimizing transmission in the high-risk radius around affected households.

The impact is clear to Augustinho: “People in the community get our messages and change their behaviour. This approach is helping to eliminate cholera in the area.” 

With a background in public health, Augustinho is happy to be sharing his experience with his community in the Buzi district and helping them prevent outbreaks of this deadly disease.

The CATI approach to cholera response and prevention is being implemented with the generous support of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).