Mayotte: while its epidemic is feared after the passage of cyclone Chido, a case of cholera detected on the archipelago

After Cyclone Chido hit the archipelago a month ago, specialists feared the outbreak of cholera. A case has been detected, but it is believed to have come from continental Africa.

An imported case of cholera has been identified in Mayotte, the Regional Health Agency of the French archipelago, ravaged by a cyclone in December, said on Sunday, January 19, where authorities fear an epidemic of cholera, a disease transmitted by contaminated water and food.

“This is an imported case in Mayotte”, Julien Demaria, head of the health crisis communication office at the Ministry of Health, told AFP. The patient had in fact arrived by plane on the archipelago a few hours before the disease was detected from continental Africa.

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The patient being treated

Since Cyclone Chido hit on December 14 and destroyed infrastructure, authorities have been on alert regarding the risk of cholera. Chlorine tablets for water had been distributed to the population and vaccine reserves had been made to deal with a possible epidemic.

“The patient was taken care of quickly and safely at the Mayotte Hospital Center”, the regional health agency (ARS) announced in a press release published on Sunday.

A specific support circuit was set up within the establishment upon receipt of the positive result and a first medical investigation team questioned the patient on Saturday evening in order to identify the causes, contact cases and other potentially exposed persons.

A team deployed

The ARS has also implemented actions to interrupt a potential transmission of the bacteria and its establishment in the territory. “As of Sunday morning, a team was deployed to the patient's residential area to continue epidemiological investigations and disinfect the home”, detailed the ARS.

Health recommendations were also distributed to people in the neighborhood and a preventive vaccination campaign was carried out around the residential area. The island had already suffered a cholera crisis in the first half of 2024. The epidemic had caused at least five deaths on the archipelago.

After the discovery of the cholera case on Saturday, health authorities called on the population to observe hygiene measures such as drinking controlled water and washing hands, measures that should prevent the transmission of the disease.