Attachments
Highlights
• Almost half of the 12.3 million population of Somalia, 5.5 million people, are in urgent need of emergency health services. Insecurity, displacement, poor health seeking practices, concentration of health facilities in urban areas, as well as the continuous spread of measles, AWD/ Cholera and complications arising from severe malnutrition has complicated health crises in Somalia.
• The health cluster through its partners has provided more than 3.1 million health consultations in 2017 which is 73% of its yearly target. It has provided more than 226 thousand consultations in December alone which is 68% of its monthly target.
• Since the start of the year, a total of 78,560 cumulative cases of AWD/cholera recorded from health facilities across the country and 1,160 deaths have been reported in 55 districts of 16 regions across Somalia. 316 cases and 1 deaths have been recorded from sections of Beletweyne town and surrounding villages
• The numbers of suspected cases of measles still remain at epidemic levels with 20,809 suspected cases of Measles reported mainly from Nugal, Mudug, Bari, Banadir and Lower Shabelle. Approximately 84% of these being under ten years of age. Although there has been a decline in recent months, the number of cases is 4 times as high as those reported in 2015 and 2016.
Summary of Humanitarian Situation
Somalia is in its second year of widespread drought. Conditions in 2017 have continued to deteriorate following poor and below normal Gu rains. Overall 6.2 million people are now in need of life-saving and livelihoods support. 2017 has seen two major communicable disease outbreaks take place across Somalia – measles and cholera. For the period through to the end of September, more than 78,240 cases of cholera/AWD and 19,316 cases of measles have been reported. The drought has affected a population with pre-existing poor health status and in a country where the health system is largely challenged. Furthermore prior to the onset of the current drought, 42% of children under the age of 5 years were stunted whilst 13.2% were wasted. The under 5 mortality rate of 137/1000 as well as maternal mortality ratio of 732/100,000 live births are the highest in the region.
The Health Cluster is coordinating a humanitarian health response which involves more than 60 partners. The work of partners includes the strengthening of system-wide capacities to ensure an effective and predictable health response to the main causes of avoidable death, illness and disability.