Nearly 900 000 doses of the cholera vaccine procured by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have arrived in Beira, Mozambique and the vaccination campaign will begin imminently, Unicef said.

Mozambique's health ministry has confirmed 1 052 cases of cholera in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai, which also ravaged neighbouring Zimbabwe and Malawi. Of these cases, 959 are in Beira where one death has also been confirmed, followed by Nhamatanda with 87 cases. 

The disease is spreading rapidly, Unicef said.

“The procurement of vaccines is one of several approaches Unicef and its partners are taking to curb the spread of cholera, along with re-establishing water treatment systems and distributing water purification products," Unicef Mozambique deputy representative Michel Le Pechoux said.

"Humanitarian teams are acting quickly to raise awareness in communities about symptoms and prevention methods, including hygiene practices and the important need for the vaccinations, particularly in the current conditions which include stagnant water and overcrowding in temporary shelters."

Five-hundred beds in seven cholera treatment centres across the affected area have been set up by Unicef, WHO and partners, along with the provincial directorate of health.

Unicef said it was ramping up its response to affected children and families in Beira, where thousands of people are affected by Idai, the worst natural disaster to hit southern Africa in at least two decades.