Health

Somalia receives 1.4 million oral cholera vaccine doses amid outbreak

A UNICEF staff member receives cholera vaccines at the Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, on April 1, 2024. (Photo: UNICEF)

By Hassan Mohamed | Monday, April 1, 2024

The vaccines arrived as the country grappled with an increase in cholera cases, with 4,388 infections and 54 fatalities reported since January.

Somalia received 1.4 million vials of oral cholera vaccines on Sunday, valued at US $2.5 million, the largest volume in the past seven years, to help it fight an outbreak attributed to El-Nino-induced floods late last year.

The vaccines arrived as the country grappled with an increase in cholera cases, with 4,388 infections and 54 fatalities, two-thirds of whom were children, reported since January, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) statement.

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The vaccines were donated through UNICEF and handed over to the Ministry of Health.

UNICEF staffs member receive cholera vaccines at the Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, on April 1, 2024. (Photo: UNICEF)

They will be distributed to five high-risk districts in Somalia, including Bossaso in Puntland State, which is said to have the highest fatality rates.

The other parts that will benefit are Dayniile district in Mogadishu, Mahady and Balcad in Hirshabele Stat, and Buurhakaba district in Southwest State.

The current cholera cases are a continuation of a 2023 outbreak that spread to new districts affected by the floods late last year.

“We thank Gavi, the vaccine alliance, UNICEF and WHO Somalia for the vaccines. They will be distributed to Bosasso, Dayniile, Mahady, Buurhakaba and Balcad,” Osman Omar, the head of emergency preparedness, response and recovery, said during the handover.

A crane transports cholera vaccines at the Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, on April 1, 2024. (Photo: UNICEF)

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of reported cholera cases in Somalia this year is three times higher than the average reported in the same period in the last three years.

The Ministry of Health, UNICEF and WHO are collaborating to prevent further outbreaks and help those in need.

"We are extremely happy to hand over this lot of cholera vaccines to the government. This will contribute to cholera prevention and help keep communities healthy. We will continue with our combined efforts to manage outbreaks," said UNICEF Deputy Representative Eric Alain Ategbo.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that spreads through food and water contaminated with bacteria, often from faeces.

In 2023, there were more than 18,300 infected people in Somalia, half of them children.