Friday March 15, 2024
MOGADISHU (Xinhua) -- An outbreak of cholera in Somalia has killed some 54 people since January, indicating the severity of the outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday.
The WHO said 4,388 cumulative cholera cases have been reported, with all six states and 30 districts reporting cases.
"High-risk districts are located in the river basin," the WHO said in its latest epidemiological update, released in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.
The Somali Ministry of Health last week attributed the ongoing cholera outbreak in the country to a growing number of people, who lack access to safe water and proper sanitation.
In addition to the ongoing cholera outbreak in Somalia, the country experienced El Nino floods, which have affected more than 2.5 million people, leading to the displacement of 1.2 million individuals from their homes and causing 118 deaths, according to the UN.
In 2023, more than 18,304 cumulative cholera cases and 46 deaths were reported in Somalia, including more than 10,000 children under the age of five, according to the WHO.