Earlier this month, Cyclone Idai swept through Mozambique killing hundreds of people and destroying entire towns
An estimated 350 people have died, 1,500 have been injured, and 17,000 have been displaced
These numbers are expected to climb, and in total the disaster has affected 1.5 million people across south eastern Africa. The cyclone has been described as one of the most devastating natural disasters to occur in the southern hemisphere.
Doctors of the World, present in Mozambique since 2000, has mobilized their teams to travel to the affected areas and to assess the situation in order to provide an effective emergency response. Many areas in northern Mozambique are still unreachable due to extensive flooding.
Thousands of people remain stranded on the roofs of buildings and even in trees, desperately awaiting emergency aid.
The majority of health centers in the cyclone’s path have been damaged and the national health network’s capacity is severely limited with an average of only 3 doctors per 100,000 people.
This is severely hindering the provision of humanitarian assistance to the affected populations. Under such conditions, there is also an increased risk of outbreaks such as malaria, typhoid, and dengue fever.
It is essential to mitigate the impact of the cyclone on access to healthcare and to provide support to local health professionals.