Cholera kills 12 in Mozambique within 24 hours, as cases spike in Malawi

LILONGWE, Malawi

Mozambique has recorded 12 deaths from cholera in the last 24 hours, as well as 135 new cases, according to official data released on Saturday.

According to data from the Directorate of Public Health, since the current outbreak began in September last year, new cases have spiked in the provinces of Tete, Nampula, and Cabo Delgado, where the 12 deaths have occurred.

Tete Province, in the central region of the Southeast African nation, has become the epicenter of the outbreak, with the death toll more than doubling in recent days and 87 new patients recorded in 24 hours.

On Jan. 28 alone, Mozambique recorded 135 new cases, with 49 patients admitted to the hospital.

In 2025, 169 people died from cholera in the country, prompting the government to develop a plan on Sept. 16 of last year, with the goal of eliminating cholera as a "public health problem" by 2030.

Cabinet spokesperson Innocencio Impissa recently told reporters that the "goal is to have Mozambique free of cholera as a public health problem by 2030, where communities will have access to safe water, sanitation, and quality health care achieved through multisectoral actions that are coordinated and informed by scientific evidence."

Mozambique is grappling with severe flooding, which has killed scores of people and displaced millions after weeks of torrential rains.