Tuesday March 5, 2024
A public health officer discussing supplies at the oral rehydration therapy corner at the Bayhow cholera treatment centre. Credit: WHO Somalia/Dhal Hassan
Mogadishu (HOL) - The Somali Ministry of Health has announced a concerning rise in cholera fatalities, with deaths reaching 37 and cases escalating to 3,365 since January. This health crisis is particularly acute in the Beledweyne district, which accounts for 604 of the reported cases, or 18 percent of the total. The outbreak has been attributed to significant deficiencies in access to clean water and sanitation, factors exacerbated by recent floods caused by El Niño, affecting over 2.5 million and displacing around 1.2 million individuals.
This latest cholera surge is set against a backdrop of ongoing environmental and healthcare crises in Somalia. Torrential rains have amplified the struggles of the East African nation, heightening the spread of waterborne diseases among populations already vulnerable due to limited healthcare infrastructure, as reported by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The situation is dire, with the Humanitarian Response Plan for Somalia aimed at aiding 7.6 million vulnerable people, which is currently only 42 percent funded.
In response to the rising tide of cholera cases, the Somali government, in collaboration with the United Nations, launched a $5.6 million initiative in late January designed to intensify outbreak response efforts. This plan came in the wake of a deadly week in January, during which 474 new cases and nine deaths were recorded, bringing the case-fatality ratio to 1.9 percent—well above the World Health Organization’s emergency threshold of 1 percent.
The health crisis underscores a longstanding issue of inadequate public health infrastructure, compounded by acute malnutrition among children, which diminishes their immunity to infections like cholera. Most current cases are reported from the Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle regions, with significant outbreaks in Beledweyne, Buloburto, Jalalaqsi, and Jowhar districts.
Somalia’s battle with cholera, an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water, has been relentless, with transmission ongoing since 2022. The situation has been further aggravated by a drought beginning in 2017, highlighting a cycle of environmental challenges and health crises.