Cyclone Chido: MSF monitoring devastating situation in Mayotte

Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is closely monitoring the situation in Mayotte following the impact of Cyclone Chido which made landfall on Saturday 14 December.

We are currently gathering information and establishing an emergency team to visit the island as soon as the situation allows. Once there, they will assess the medical and humanitarian situation and the need for a potential emergency response.

How MSF responds to humanitarian emergencies

Initial reports indicate a very serious situation on the island, with water and electricity supplies cut off, roads severely damaged, communication difficulties and a serious human toll - the true extent of which remains unknown at this stage. 

We are particularly worried about the people living in the shantytowns, which have been completely destroyed. The living conditions of people here were already extremely precarious before the cyclone hit. 

Between May and August 2024, MSF teams worked on the island to respond to a cholera epidemic. They also developed programmes to improve access to water, hygiene and sanitation, and to support local organisations with health promotion on diarrhoeal diseases and cholera.