Medicus Mundi supports the prevention of water-borne diseases in Maputo

Three thousand nine hundred and thirty-six (3,936) families from Maputo Municipality will benefit from water purifiers.

Three thousand nine hundred and thirty-six (3,936) families from Maputo Municipality will benefit from water purifiers, donated by medicusmundi, for the prevention of water-borne diseases in Maputo. The donation was made on the 17th February, at a time when the city and Maputo province are facing a rainy season characterized by urban flooding that can give rise to diarrheal diseases, cholera among other waterborne diseases.

The water purifiers, of the Certeza brand, were handed over to the Council for Health and Social Action of the Municipal Council of Maputo. On the occasion, Dr. Alice de Abreu, councilor for the sector, said that the donation will contribute to improving the quality of water for consumption. “A bottle like this can support a family to reduce the impact of rain and guarantee the quality of the water that is consumed”, said Dr. Alice de Abreu. With this gesture, Dr. Alice de Abreu believes that other partners from the Municipality of Maputo will be able to support with other actions foreseen in the Contingency Plan for the 2022 - 2023 Rainy Season and the Cholera Response Plan that is already being implemented in Maputo City. Likewise, she added that the Municipality of Maputo has not yet registered any cases of cholera in this rainy season, as a result of several awareness actions carried out with partners in the health area.

Policarpo Ribeiro, responsible of the Public Health area at medicusmundi said that the gesture also serves to raise awareness among the population about the need to treat water for consumption. Ribeiro also said that this action was preceded by training conducted for members of the Health Committees of all Municipal districts of Maputo, with the exception of KaNyaka Municipal District, with the aim of providing the Health Committees, activists and community leaders with information and capacity to deal with probable outbreaks of diarrhoea, cholera and other water-related diseases. The training also covered topics such as hygiene and hand washing, waste management, communication and health education, as social determinants affecting the health of Maputo residents.

The donation carried out by medicusmundi, falls under the scope of the Project "The Social Determinants of Health: the best strategy against COVID-19 in Maputo", implemented with the financial support of Barcelona City Council.