EU provides €1 million emergency aid for Ethiopia's cholera crisis

A WHO officer collects samples for water quality testing in drought-affected and cholera-prone areas, Borena and Oromia in Ethiopia in December 2022. (Photo: WHO)

By Hanifa Adan
Monday, May 13, 2024

In March 2023, Ethiopia reported over 2,276 cases and 50 deaths, posing a grave threat to approximately 3.3 million individuals.

The European Union (EU) has allocated an additional €1 million (approximately Sh141 million) in humanitarian funding to respond to Ethiopia's deepening cholera emergency.

Since the disease broke out in August 2022, Ethiopia has grappled with a cumulative total of 44,044 cases and 571 fatalities. However, the situation has worsened significantly in recent months, with unprecedented increases in recorded cases.

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In March 2023, Ethiopia reported over 2,276 cases and 50 deaths, posing a grave threat to approximately 3.3 million individuals.

By May 2023, the crisis had deepened, with nearly 6,200 cases and 94 fatalities registered across 54 areas, endangering 7 million people. This trend persisted, with over 16,800 cases and more than 370 deaths by early August, predominantly affecting regions like Oromia, Sidama, and Somali.

Responding to the escalating crisis, the World Health Organisation (WHO) established 17 standard cholera treatment centres across Ethiopia in February this year, including in key urban centres and regional states.

Despite these efforts, the spread of the disease has continued unabated, with over 600 cases reported weekly across nine regions.

The EU's latest emergency funding aims to bolster Ethiopia's cholera response efforts by supporting initiatives focused on water, hygiene, sanitation, and healthcare at both community and institutional levels. Additionally, the funding seeks to enhance coordination among stakeholders involved in the response.

A woman in a rural village in central Ethiopia walks with her donkeys who are carrying water to her family’s homestead. (Photo: Martha Geiger, CC BY-NC-SA/ The Conversation)

This allocation builds upon the EU's prior commitment, having granted €1 million in emergency aid for the cholera outbreak in Ethiopia in November 2023.

In April this year, the Food Security and Nutrition Working Group (FSNWG) warned that cholera outbreaks had increased in the Horn of Africa. The report released on Thursday, April 25, 2024, attributed the surge to heavy rains and floods.

The surge in waterborne diseases, it added, posed a threat to vulnerable populations in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan, with 80 per cent of those affected being children.

Among the leading causes of cholera cited in the report were contaminated water supplies, a lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation, and inadequate hygiene practices.

Meanwhile, in Kenya, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned of a potential surge in food-borne diseases, with cholera cases reported in some regions.

"There is a likelihood for increased illnesses associated with contaminated food diseases," cautioned WHO-Kenya on Saturday, May 11.

The United Nations body urged the country to create awareness of the importance of food safety practices, including thorough cooking, proper storage and enhanced personal hygiene measures.