Maputo, 1 Apr (AIM) – The health authorities have been recording, in Beira city, in the central Mozambican province of Sofala, a significant reduction in cases of hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, from a daily average of 900 cases down to 45 last Wednesday.
According to the director of Health in Sofala, Neusa Joel, cited in Monday’s issue of the Maputo daily “Notícias”, despite this reduction, there are still cases of people using traditional or inappropriate medicines.
“They use urine to wash their faces, products containing mint, and animal faeces, among others”, she said.
According to Joel, there is also an apparent inadequate sharing of information about the disease, which is why “we still have this type of occurrence. This is one of the major constraints we are facing in this outbreak.”
“As a health sector, we don’t recommend this practice. There is always the risk of other consequences, including blindness. We continue to urge people, in the event of symptoms of the disease, to go to health centres, where medical staff are prepared to deal with this illness”, she said
Regarding the use of sunglasses as a method of prevention and even cure, the director explained that this only functions for those who have already been infected, in order to protect themselves from the sun’s rays.
The health authorities have recorded over 8,000 cases of conjunctivitis in seven provinces in less than a month.
(AIM)
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