Quelimane

Police arrested 70 people, including 60 in Nampula and others in capital Maputo, Nacala and Quelimane, he said.

Meanwhile, rural areas around Quelimane are facing other threats.

There were 444 reported cases of malaria in Quelimane district on 24 March alone, but the number is likely much higher as many, such as those in the camp outside Nicoadala, lack access to health facilities.

At a hospital in Quelimane, Zambezia’s provincial capital, National Institute of Health director general Eduardo Sam Gudo Jr reported there were 600 new confirmed cases a day in Quelimane district alone, but said that the real number may be as high as 1,000.

"Local authorities came around my neighbourhood to alert us of the imminent danger. They blew the whistle," recalled 31-year-old Quelimane resident Amelia Antonio.