Cholera cases have been reported in Mozambique | General news

A week after the cyclone Idai on the flooded Mozambican port of Beira, cases of cholera have been recorded, said Friday a humanitarian group.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned of the risk of epidemics, already pointing to an increase in malaria.

So far, the storm has killed 557 people in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, but the death toll is expected to increase.

Idai landed near Beira with 177 km / h (106 mph) winds on March 14th.

Relief workers are slowly providing relief, but conditions would be extremely difficult, with some areas completely inaccessible and lack of helicopters.

Some 1.7 million people are reported to be affected throughout southern Africa, with no electricity or running water in areas where homes have been swept and roads destroyed by floods.

"Humanitarian organizations are increasingly concerned about the risk of epidemics," the IFRC statement said. "Already, some cases of cholera have been reported in Beira, as well as an increasing number of malaria infections among people trapped by floods."

Cholera, which is endemic in Mozambique, is spread by sewage-contaminated water and can kill within hours if it is not treated.

"There is stagnant water, it does not drain, rotting bodies, a lack of hygiene and sanitation," said Henrietta Fore, director of Unicef In Mozambique, at the AFP news agency.