Doctor Antoine Flahaut denounces the state’s inaction in Mayotte, where access to drinking water has been difficult for more than a year. 29 cases of cholera were detected there.
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“It is the responsibility of the State to provide drinking water to all the inhabitants of Mayotte, legal or illegal”, calls out epidemiologist Antoine Flahault on franceinfo on Tuesday April 30, when 29 cases of cholera were detected on the French archipelago. This disease, whose symptoms are similar to those of severe gastroenteritis, is spread by fecal-oral contamination, linked to water sanitation problems. In Mayotte, a third of residents do not have access to drinking water.
The doctor talks about “import cholera”. In 75% of cases, infected people have no symptoms and are therefore unaware that they have the disease. The populations of the Comoros who arrive in Mayotte import a lot of this bacteria, present in the intestines. But this contamination is so widespread because of the unsanitary conditions on the island. “which are not acceptable with the level of development and wealth of France”insists Antoine Flahault.
Even though severe forms can lead to death, cholera is treatable through rehydration in intensive care. Care that Mayotte is able to administer thanks to its infrastructure. According to the doctor, the vaccine would be a solution for vulnerable people or migrants, even if the best solution to stem the epidemic lies in water sanitation.
