14 June 2022, MOGADISHU \u2013 On 14 June 2022, Somalia rolled out the first round of a five-day campaign to
\nvaccinate 934 511 people against cholera in nine high-risk districts that are currently facing ongoing outbreaks of
\ncholera. The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF) are supporting the
\nMinistry of Health and Human Services, the Federal Government of Somalia, to conduct the campaign. Gavi, the
\nVaccine Alliance is providing vaccines and funds to implement this life-saving intervention.
\nThe oral cholera vaccination campaign aims to vaccinate people above one year of age, including pregnant
\nwomen and internally displaced persons. It will be conducted in Hodan, Daynile, Dharkeneley, Wadajir, Jowhar,
\nBaidoa, Afgoi, Wanlaweyne and Marka districts.<\/p>\n
Since 2017, Somalia has witnessed several cholera outbreaks. These can be attributed to a large number of
\npeople having poor access to safe water and sanitation services, and natural hazards, including drought and
\nfloods, further exacerbated by protracted conflict and large-scale population displacement. Meanwhile, the
\nthe ongoing drought in the country has had a grave impact on Somalis \u2013 while displacing over 770 000 people
\ninternally, it has dried up surface water sources and led to food insecurity in communities, which increases the
\nrisk of cholera infection as well as other waterborne diseases.
\nAn estimated 49% of the population \u2013 7.7 million people \u2013 require some form of humanitarian or protection
\nassistance in Somalia, of whom 6.13 million are estimated to be affected by the current drought.
\nWhile cholera remains endemic in Somalia and the current drought situation may have exacerbated the risk of a
\nmajor outbreak across the country, vaccination against cholera with two doses given between 2 to 4 weeks apart
\nis seen as a supplementary measure to stop the outbreak and control its spread. In addition, other proven and
\neffective public health measures also prevent cholera transmission, such as maintaining good personal hygiene,
\nimproving access to safe water and practising safe sanitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo prevent cholera outbreaks in a sustainable way, we strongly advise affected communities to take two doses
\nof cholera vaccine orally. In addition, we are urging our partners to assist us in improving access to water,
\nsanitation, and hygiene facilities for vulnerable communities and the general public,\u201d said HE Fawziya Abikar Nur,
\nthe Ministry of Health and Human Services, the Federal Government of Somalia.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we need to step up our collective response to cholera and other waterborne diseases, especially in the
\nareas of case management, we have over 2100 community health workers deployed in 78 districts, including in 24
\ndrought-affected districts. They are carrying out risk communication activities at the household level to promote
\nsafe behavioural practices and maintain basic hygiene at the personal and household levels even in these trying
\nconditions. These community health workers are also ensuring that sick children with profuse diarrhoea, vomiting, and other signs of dehydration are immediately cared for and referred to nearby\u00a0health centres for
\nfurther assessment or treatment. These public health actions are saving lives from preventable causes, as
\npopulations, especially children, are very vulnerable during these emergencies, owing to hunger, starvation and
\nmalnutrition,\u201d added Dr Mamunur Rahman Malik, WHO Representative to Somalia.<\/p>\n
\u201cParents and caregivers can take life-saving preventive measures for their children by taking them to get the
\ncholera vaccine drops. Children are very susceptible to preventable diseases like cholera, especially with low
\naccess to water during this drought,\u201d said Angela Kearney, UNICEF Somalia Representative. \u201cTogether, we are
\nensuring that 1 869 022 doses of the cholera vaccines are readily available for the campaign while social
\nmobilisers educate affected communities. Vaccination alone is not enough, preventive measures such as good
\nhygiene and access to healthcare are important.\u201d As of 15 May 2022, 4887 suspected cases of cholera, with 16 associated deaths, were reported from 21
\ndrought-affected districts in Somalia. Around 62% of these cases were children aged below five years, while
\naround half of the cases were females.A second round of the oral cholera vaccination campaign will be conducted within a few weeks following the
\ncompletion of the first round of the oral cholera vaccination campaign. The populations that received the first
\ndose will be targeted to receive the second dose during the next round of the campaign to boost the affected
\npopulation\u2019s immunity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
14 June 2022, MOGADISHU \u2013 On 14 June 2022, Somalia rolled out the first round of a five-day campaign to vaccinate 934 511 people against cholera in nine high-risk districts that are currently facing ongoing outbreaks of cholera. The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF) are supporting the Ministry of Health […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8530,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_angie_page":false,"page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[101],"pdf-category":[],"class_list":["post-8527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-press-release"],"yoast_head":"\n