Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 25th Jan. UN humanitarian and coordination aid agency OCHA on Wednesday warned that the spread of cholera and acute watery diarrhoea is continuing in Somalia, with over 470 new cases registered in recent days, including 9 deaths.
OCHA said that most incidents are concentrated in the areas that experienced severe flooding late last year.
Over 18,300 cases were reported during last year; more than half are children under five.
The aid agency is leading the response, setting up new treatment centres in flood-affected areas and running extensive community education and awareness campaigns through health workers and outreach teams.
Somalia’s Ministry of Health and the humanitarians have activated a national cholera task force and developed a six-month plan to scale up the response will require some $5.6 million.
OCHA emphasized that with preparations for anticipated April to June flooding now underway, insufficient funding remains a critical concern.
