Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

Somalia

Somalia: Health Cluster Bulletin, June 2023

Attachments

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Cholera continues to pose a public health threat in the country with 9,768 suspected cases of cholera and 28 associated deaths (case fatality rate 0.30 per cent) reported since EPI week 1.

  • Moderate to heavy rains have been reported in several areas of Somalia, causing flash and riverine floods. As of 6 June, at least 468,000 people have been affected by floods, with 247,000 displaced, according to humanitarian partners and authorities.

  • The health sector is facing huge financing gaps with only 25.1% funding for HRP 2023 in the first half of 2023.

  • 18 of confirmed cases of measles out of 189 suspected cases reported in month of June 2023 (IDSR EPI Week 26).

Situation Updates

Several areas of Somalia experienced substantial amounts of rainfall, leading to flash and riverine flooding. According to the latest data in June 2023, a total number of 468,000 people had been affected by the floods, with 247,000 displaced from their homes. OCHA recently indicated that in the worst affected district of Beletweyne and surrounding areas, the flood waters had started to recede, but stagnant pools were hindering the return of displaced people and increasing the risk of waterborne diseases.

Approximately 6.5 million people across Somalia are projected to experience high levels of acute food insecurity classified in Crisis (integrated phase classification 3) or above through June 2023. The estimated total burden of severely acute malnourished children under the age of five years in Somalia between January and December 2023 remains at approximately 1.8 million children, including 477,700 projected to be severely malnourished.

Somalia is currently experiencing a cholera outbreak in number of districts. The current cholera outbreak is attributed to a high proportion of IDPs with limited access to safe drinking water and good sanitation. Since epidemiological week 1 of 2023, 9,768 cases and 28 deaths (case fatality rate: 0.3%) have been reported in 28 districts. However, in the last two months there was a decrease in cases especially in Jubaland state which is the epicenter of the current outbreak, this is due to increased upscaling of activities in the affected districts. Insecurity and conflict also remain one of the major drivers of displacement in the country, with 474,000 people displaced by conflict in 2023, according to UNHCR. The situation of Lascanood still tense with fierce fighting reported in June and there is little des-escalation effort.