UNITED NATIONS, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 190,000 people in Mozambique are in need of health assistance or are at risk of disease after Cyclone Kenneth hit the country, said the United Nations on Thursday.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the World Health Organization (WHO) redeployed a team of specialists originally sent to the Beira region after Cyclone Idai. In the wake of Cyclone Kenneth, specialists have been reassigned to posts in more northern areas of Mozambique.

The WHO stressed the need for rapid action to manage the risk of cholera as Kenneth was the second category-3 cyclone to hit the southern Africa country in less than five weeks, Dujarric said.

Due to the lack of accessibility, the full extent of the damage to the health system is not known, he said. At least 17 health facilities have been damaged but this number is expected to rise.

The WHO is working with the Mozambique Health Ministry to carry out evaluations and it is also working with the UN Children's Fund, which has sent tents, water purification units and other supplies.

Idai swept across Mozambique's mid-section in early March, killing more than 600 people, officials said. The combined toll in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe was more than 1,000 deaths. Enditem

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