1. General situation.

The Northern and Central regions of Mozambique have been affected by a heavy rainfall from the beginning of this year and causing extensive damage affecting large numbers of people and cutting off the main roods including the national highway (N1) connecting central Mozambique to the north.

On 12th January 2015 the Government has activated an institutional RED ALERT for the Central and North Areas. The INGC is actively monitoring and managing the situation. As heavy rains continue, larger areas of the country could be affected.

As results of the emergency situation, official data from the CENOE updated on 20th January shows that 117,685  people (23,893 families)  were affected in 5 provinces of Central and Northern regions, among which, Zambezia Province is the most affected.

The floods have destroyed 4,963 houses, 378 classrooms, 6 health centers and 51 bridges;

84  people lost their lives due to flooding, lightning and house collapsing;

Currently, more than 50,481 people (11,662 families) are hosted in 49 accommodation centers

2. Ongoing activities

The National Institute for Disaster Management (INGC), has activated and moved the CENOE (National Center for Emergency operations) to Zambezia, for assistance to affected populations in the most affected areas.

49 accommodation centers were opened in Zambezia Province to assist populations without shelters; the majority of these centers are in Schools.

There are approximately more than 836 orphans and vulnerable children, 286 newborns, 252 elderly people and 114 pregnant women in the accommodation centers.

3. Health activities in the fields

• Provision of basic health care services in accommodation centers.

• Deployment of health staff to provide basic health care services in the accommodation centers.

• Health education activities in the accommodation centers involving community activists.

• Water treatment using CERTEZA to prevent diarrhea and other water borne diseases.

• As of today, more than 270 cases of Malaria and 84 cases of diarrhea diseases were registered in the accommodations centers. Majority of these cases were registered in Mocuba and Nicoadala.

• Mosquito bed nets are being distributed in the accommodation centers.

• Monitoring and surveillance of epidemic prone disease is being conducted daily.

4. Coordination of partners involved in heath interventions

• Cooperation Partners, Private sector and other non-governmental organizations are already supporting the government to assist the affected families in Logistics, Food items, WASH, Shelter kits.

• Staffs from UN agencies were deployed to provide technical support to INGC in coordinating the emergency response in Zambezia and Nampula.

• Rapid assessment of the emergency situation is being conducted in the field.

• More than 30,000 mosquitos bed nets available from COSACA for distribution. 

5. Next WHO actions

• Activate the internal emergency cluster as per emergency SOP.

• Call and chair a health cluster meeting on Wednesday January 21 2015 at 14:30.

• Continue to monitor the health situation in the affected areas.

• Prepare a CERF document for financial resource mobilization for the health emergency response in the affected areas.