French authorities have been criticized for inadequate access to drinking water and vaccines.
On Friday, Paris reported nearly 200 cases of cholera on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, as stated by the AFP news agency and reported by TASR.
“As of June 18, 2024, there have been 193 cases of cholera reported in Mayotte,” the French public health agency SPF announced in its weekly update. Of these, 172 cases were locally acquired, and 21 cases were among people infected abroad, specifically in the neighboring Comoros archipelago and other African countries.
Cholera is an infectious disease that typically causes severe diarrhea, vomiting, and muscle cramps. It spreads easily in unsanitary conditions. The first cases of cholera in Mayotte, home to approximately 320,000 people, were reported at the end of April.
Since the outbreak began, two people have died, including a three-year-old girl.
SPF warned that the risk of transmission is particularly high in disadvantaged neighborhoods, “where access to drinking water and sanitation facilities is inadequate.”
French authorities have faced criticism for failing to ensure access to drinking water to prevent the cholera epidemic in their overseas territory.
During a vaccine production summit in Africa on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron called for cholera to “remain a thing of the past.“
Recent deadly cholera outbreaks in many parts of Africa have highlighted the lack of local vaccine production.
According to a report published by local authorities in June, the Comoros archipelago, which has been battling a cholera epidemic for four months, has recorded 134 deaths and over 8,700 cases of infection.
