Cholera Death Toll Rises to 60 in Somalia Amid New Cases of Infection

MOGADISHU, Xinhua: At least 60 people died from cholera in Somalia in the past three months, indicating the severity of the outbreak, the UN Children’s Fund, or UNICEF said Sunday.

“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).

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.

El Nino Effects

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

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 Nino-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.