The number of deaths from cholera has risen to 16 in Mozambique, the Ministry of Health (MISAU) announced yesterday, warning of the spread of the disease in the country due to the rainy season.

"We have a cumulative 1,376 cases of cholera and 16 deaths, which correspond to a lethality rate of 1.2 %," said Domingos Guiole, from the public health surveillance department at the MoH, quoted yesterday by private television STV, writes Lusa.

He warned of the spread of the disease to all Mozambican provinces due to the "mobility of people and goods" and the ongoing rainy season in the country.

"The mobility of people and goods can mean that a case in Niassa province can move to Nampula province," said Domingos Guiole.

Most of the deaths from cholera have been recorded in Niassa, in the north of the country, and the authorities suspect that the cases are imported from Malawi, a country that borders Mozambique and has recorded cases of the disease.

The President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, expressed concern on Sunday about the outbreak that has affected some provinces, calling for "increased hygiene precautions".

Cholera is a treatable disease that causes severe diarrhea, but can lead to death from dehydration if it is not tackled promptly - it is largely caused by ingesting contaminated food and water due to poor sanitation.

Mozambique, considered one of the countries severely affected by climate change in the world, is in the middle of the rainy and cyclonic season, which occurs between October and April, with winds coming from the Indian Ocean and floods originating in the river basins of southern Africa.