Praia, Aug. 20, 2025 (Lusa) - Cabo Verde's National Institute of Public Health (INSP) has warned of the health risks on the island of São Vicente and called for more external support and a reinforced response after the storm that caused nine deaths.
"There's still a lot to be done, especially by the city council and other institutions. Perhaps we need to seek more external support to respond to the need to control potential public health problems," said the president of the INSP, Maria da Luz Lima, quoted by Rádio de Cabo Verde (RCV).
She pointed to open sewers and stagnant water as potential mosquito breeding grounds and the risk of serious diseases, and emphasised the need to strengthen sanitation, including domestic and hospital waste management.
She also emphasised the importance of the population's adherence to prevention measures.
"There is a movement of people helping to clean up, but we have to have a movement in favour of health, in terms of healthier behaviours, to avoid illnesses, physical and mental," he said, recommending basic precautions such as drinking water and frequent hand washing.
Residents in São Vicente acknowledged to Lusa that they feared contracting diseases due to the accumulation of rubbish and water in the streets after the storm.
The floods, which occurred a week ago, left neighbourhoods flooded, destroyed roads, bridges and shops, affected the power supply and caused nine deaths. One person is still missing.
Cabo Verde's government declared a six-month disaster in São Vicente, Porto Novo (Santo Antão) and the two municipalities of São Nicolau. It approved a strategic response plan that includes emergency support for families and economic activities, with subsidised credit lines and non-repayable funds.
To finance the measures, resources will be mobilised from the National Emergency Fund and the Sovereign Emergency Fund, created in 2019 to respond to natural disasters and external shocks.
A Portuguese Navy ship docked in São Vicente with 56 military personnel, equipment to remove rubble, a desalination plant for the hospital, drones to collect aerial images and divers to support the population.
RS/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
