Somalia's cholera outbreak claims 134 lives as cases surge

A total of 16,231 new cases of cholera and 134 related deaths have been reported in Somalia since January this year, with cases spreading due to recent prolonged rainfalls and flash floods, the government said Monday.

The Ministry of Health and Human Services said 10,273 cases, or 63 percent of the total, were classified as severe.

"Regrettably, 134 deaths were recorded during this reporting period, emphasizing the severity of the outbreak," the ministry said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

The ministry also attributed the rising cholera cases in Somalia to a growing number of people who lack access to safe water and proper sanitation.

Several districts in Somalia have been severely affected by the cholera outbreak, with the district of Kismayo registering the highest number of cases, accounting for 2,567 cases, or 16 percent of the total cases, said the ministry, noting that these statistics underscore the geographical distribution of the outbreak and the urgent need for targeted interventions in these high-risk areas.

"In response to a cholera outbreak, a comprehensive oral cholera vaccination campaign was implemented, targeting a total of 920,913 individuals across several hot-affected districts," the ministry said.

The campaign, targeting three age groups -- children aged 14 years, those aged 5-15 years, and individuals over 15 years -- successfully vaccinated 895,680 people, achieving an overall coverage rate of 97 percent, according to the ministry.

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Somalia has had uninterrupted AWD (acute watery diarrhea)/cholera transmission since 2022 and in the Banadir region since the drought of 2017, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The WHO said Somalia is experiencing a cholera outbreak that has intensified since floods, triggered by heavy rains in December 2023, destroyed sanitation facilities and caused further displacements.

In 2023, more than 18,304 cumulative cases of cholera and 46 deaths were reported in Somalia, with more than half being children aged below five years.