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Friday, April 19, 2024

Mozambique cholera: Why outbreaks have sparked unrest - Yahoo News

False claims about the spread of a cholera outbreak in northern Mozambique have led to violent protests and deaths, according to health officials.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted instances in which misinformation about the disease has contributed to the unrest.

Through social media posts and local media reports, we've looked into some of these protests to understand what was behind the trouble.

In one recent incident, a man was beaten to death in the town of Gurue in Zambezia province by people who falsely accused him of spreading cholera, according to health officials.

The event was captured in a graphic video seen by the BBC that has been circulating on social messaging apps and shows the body of a man with a large crowd looking on.

In another protest, four people were killed as police battled a group attacking homes and property belonging to local officials in Nacala Porto in Nampula province.

Further north in Cabo Delgado province, police fired into the air to disperse a crowd trying to attack a health centre in Meluco district.

What do people believe?

It is unclear what is fuelling the misinformation - which is largely spreading through word of mouth - although our monitoring of social media has provided some insight.

Cholera thrives in conditions where water sanitation is inadequate.

Some online posts claim falsely that measures implemented by local health officials, such as adding chlorine to water supplies and the use of purifiers, are in fact...



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