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Since mid-March, a cholera epidemic has been raging in Mayotte. This month, two people died, including a 3-year-old boy. On social networks, his death sparked numerous reactions, blaming the Cristaline water, which would have been contaminated.
Is Cristaline brand water the cause of the cholera contamination currently raging in Mayotte? This is the information relayed en masse on social networks including TikTok.
“Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, pain and fever”… these symptoms shared on social networks are alarming: they would be a sign of cholera contamination. An epidemic which has already caused two deaths since the beginning of May in this island-department of the Indian Ocean, including a 3-year-old child, while dozens of others have been infected, facing a water crisis.
Videos circulating on social media claimed that the child’s death occurred after he consumed Cristaline brand bottled water, causing shock waves among residents. On TikTok, videos have gone viral indicating that the ELENA batch “identified under the number M1 03/11/25” would carry bacteria. This content, widely shared and commented on, created real panic among users of the platform. However, health authorities confirmed that the rumors were indeed false.
@just_jajja Lot of Cristaline ELENA, identified under the numbering M1 03/11/25. …
Where does such a rumor come from?
It is in fact a confusion with a defective batch of Cristaline water, on May 13, 2024. Faced with these rumors, the Mayotte Regional Health Agency denied in a press release the link between this defective batch and the death of the young boy.
“No link exists between this defective batch and the death of the child which occurred on Wednesday May 8 as a result of cholera.”
For the previous defective batch, the Alma group, producer of Cristaline, cited an “olfactory anomaly” probably due to storage or transport conditions from mainland France. He stressed that the controls on the bottles produced were compliant and that no bacterial contamination had been noted, despite the smell of hydrocarbons.
Read also :
Death of a 3-year-old child from cholera in Mayotte: 4 things to know about this potentially fatal disease
Since August 2023, the population of Mayotte has been faced with tap water cuts several days a week. Providing water to the population remains difficult, due to its location in the Indian Ocean and because of a shortage linked to drought.
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