Cholera outbreak kills five children in Kismayo

At least five people have been killed following an outbreak of cholera in Somalia’s southern port town, Kismayo and its environs, medics said on Monday.

Head of Cholera Rapid Response department of Kismayo Hospital, Hassan Garaad said most of those killed by the disease were children who died at the hospital.

Garad is worried that the whole district and the nearby suburbs could be just as vulnerable to the cholera outbreak due to lack of hygiene and clean water in the area.

Cholera, a highly contagious intestinal infection, is transmitted by water soiled by human waste.

After a short incubation period of two to five days, the disease causes severe diarrhoea, draining the body of its water. The sudden and dramatic loss of fluid is often fatal.

Meanwhile, Somalia is facing its worst drought in decades.

The humanitarian crisis has hit many regions in Southern, Central and Northern Somalia with many people needing emergency aid.