Somalia: Cholera Death Toll Rises to 60, New Cases

April 8, 2024 Hour: 5:53 pm

On Sunday, the UN Children’s Fund, or UNICEF said that at least 60 people died from cholera in Somalia in the past three months, indicating the severity of the outbreak.

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“There has been a significant rise in cholera cases in the last three months, with a total of 4,956 new cases with 60 deaths (1.2 percent case fatality rate) being reported,” the UN agency said in its latest update issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

Of the reported cases, 2,503, or 51 percent, were female, underscoring the vulnerability of women to cholera infection, it said.

The country has been experiencing a protracted cholera outbreak, with uninterrupted transmission of the disease since 2017, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

A #UNICEF team visited #Banadir Hospital to assess the situation in the cholera treatment centre. In March, 300 cases were admitted for acute watery diarrhoea and 97 tested positive for cholera, most being children. #Cholera is preventable and treatable with early action. pic.twitter.com/WJGZIhiT3N

— UNICEF Somalia (@unicefsomalia)
April 8, 2024

According to the WHO, the number of reported cases this year is three times higher than the average reported in the same period during the last three years.

UNICEF said among these cases, 3,054, or 62 percent, were classified as severe, indicating the gravity of the illness. It also said some 2,940 cases, or 59 percent, were children under five years of age, underscoring the heightened risk faced by this age group.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that spreads through food and water contaminated with bacteria, often from feces.

The upsurge in cholera infection is attributed largely to El Niño induced floods toward the end of 2023, which left at least 118 people dead and 1.2 million others displaced.

Somalia reports 4,956 new #Cholera cases, 60 deaths in last three months. pic.twitter.com/qQB1c2p9Uv

— CGTN Africa (@cgtnafrica)
April 8, 2024

According to the UN, the cholera outbreak has impacted various regions across the country, with notable cases reported in Mogadishu, Afgoye, Baidoa, Buur Hakaba, Marka, Kismayo, Jowhar, Mahaday, Belet Weyne, Bulo Burto, Jalalaqsi, Balcad, Bossaso, and Garowe.

“The outbreak durations vary, with some ongoing for several years and others more recent,” UNICEF said.

The ongoing cholera outbreak in Somalia is mainly attributed to a growing number of people with limited access to safe water and adequate sanitation facilities.

The El Niño induced flood in the last quarter of 2023 has significantly impacted many areas in Somalia, causing further spikes in cholera cases across different districts of Somalia, UNICEF said.

More than 18,300 cumulative cases of cholera and 46 deaths were reported in Somalia last year, with over half being children aged below five years.