Reporting period: 08 to 14 December 2011
HIGHLIGHTS
• Malnutrition rates have significantly reduced in Turkana County within the last six months following scale up of life saving nutrition interventions. Turkana North East which was most affected, has reported three times reduction in both Global Acute Malnutrition (37.4% to 13.7%) and Severe Acute Malnutrition (9.4% to 3.2%). Under five mortality rates have fallen below alert levels (less than 2/10,000/day). Through a network of over 126 outreach sites hundreds of children were screened and referred for treatment in Outpatient Therapeutic Program (OTP) and Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP). In Turkana County between May and October 2011, over 5,893 severely and 8,912 moderately malnourished children were admitted for treatment. A Blanket Supplementary Feeding Program targeting 113,134 children was implemented to prevent children from being malnourished. By September 43,966 children had been reached. Households with malnourished children and Pregnant and Lactating Women were linked to General Food Distribution and Food for Assets to improve their resilience. Continued focus on sustaining recovery in Turkana and across the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands will be required if these gains are to be maintained and translated into longer term resilience for these communities.
• The number of cases of cholera continues to increase in Dadaab with 222 cases reported in the last week. One death this week was in a three year old child from Hagadera camp. A total of 719 cholera cases have been line listed since August, 2011. A majority 60% (431/719) of these suspected cholera cases were recorded in children less than 5 years and the trend reveals that most (213) of the Under five year old cases were recorded in the last two weeks of November (19th to 2nd Dec 2011). Overall Dadaab case fatality rate stands at 0.3% (2 deaths out of 719).
• There has been a steady increase in admissions of severely malnourished children reported in the Dadaab refugee camps. A total of 1639 children admitted in the week of 19 to 35 November compared to 944 admitted between 7 to11 November. Increased admissions of severely malnourished children in the in-patient facilities has been reported, with a majority of the children admitted reported to have acute watery diarrhoea. As of 5 December, a total of 382 Children were admitted to the stabilization centres (Hagadera: 54, Dagahaley: 290 and Ifo: 38).
• Heavy rains in recent weeks in Northern and Western Kenya have led to flooding in Isiolo and Western and Nyanza Provinces. The weather outlook points to a cessation of rains in the Northern areas but a continuation of rains in Western Kenya through the end of December. According to rapid assessments of the flooding in Western and Nyanza carried out by UNICEF staff and Government departments, as at 13 December, there are a total of 3,576 displaced households in Bunyala, Rachuonyo, Nyando, Nyakach, Nyatike, Bungoma, Mumias and Siaya displacement camps and evacuation centers. UNICEF provided Family Relief Kits (cooking set, blankets, buckets, jerry cans and tarpaulins), Mosquito nets and inter-agency health kits are being distributed to flood-affected populations. UNICEF staff is continuing to monitor and report daily. Additional assessments are planned for Bungoma, Mumias, Nyakach and Rachonyo.
• Ten suspected cases of Rift Valley Fever have been reported in Fafi district and a further two suspected cases in Wajir South. The Provincial Medical Officer has communicated with district health staff in historically affected areas to be alert and an assessment team was sent to Bula Golalwe. The district teams have been asked to utilise the polio campaign activity to conduct active disease surveillance for Rift Valley Fever, cholera, measles and malaria, as well as polio.
• The UN Secretary General - HE Ban Ki Moon accompanied by the President of the UN General Assembly visited Dadaab on 9 December. IN his comments the Secretary General appreciated the support given by the Government, host community and UN agencies in delivering services to the refugees. He also stressed the importance of education, sanitation and protection against violence as a crucial part of humanitarian assistance for the refugees.