OCHA says cholera killed 618 people in Somalia since January

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Thursday said an outbreak of cholera/ acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) killed 618 people in Somalia since January.

In its latest bulletin, OCHA pointed out that the AWD/cholera outbreak is affecting 13 out of 18 Somali regions.

“Nearly 32,000 AWD/cholera cases and 618 related deaths have been reported since the start of 2017,” said the UN agency.

The Agency attributed the outbreak to widespread water shortages, food insecurity and displacement that have stretched sanitation facilities beyond their capacity.

The OCHA said most cases were reported from Banadir, Togdheer, Lower Shabelle, Hiraan, Sool, Mudug and Lower Juba regions, noting that reporting and verification in places such as Middle Juba have been hampered by difficult access.

“The current mass population displacement as a result of droughts is worsening the situation. The onset of the rainy season risks exacerbating the situation further in the hotspots and along the riverine areas,” it said.

Meanwhile, the report said an outbreak of suspected measles has added to the burden of disease in Somalia.

“Almost 5,700 suspected cases of the disease have been reported since the start of 2017, more than the total number of cases in 2016,” the UN said.

Measles, a viral respiratory infection that spreads through air and contact with infected mucus and saliva, thrives in congested, unsanitary displacement settlements that have multiplied across the country as people flee drought.