Ethiopia, Health, Cholera Outbreak, Africa

A new low: spread of cholera plagues famine-affected regions – IRC

• Scores of children dying from preventable and curable waterborne disease
• Scarcity of clean drinking water and poor sanitation in areas of mass displacement and crowding led to a dramatic increase in cases of the waterborne disease
• Since early 2017, 130,000 + cases of acute watery diarrhea (AWD) and cholera, and 2,100 + related deaths across South Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Yemen
• Situation likely to worsen with rainy season
• Malnourished children more susceptible to cholera and five times more likely to die from disease
• Health systems fragmented by conflict and challenges in delivering aid contributed to a high death toll
• IRC scaling up response across the region and calling for international community to step-up support to avoid worst-case scenario

Nairobi , June 6, 2017 — Widespread drought, food insecurity, and conflict across East Africa and Yemen have now directly resulted in a massive and deadly cholera and acute watery diarrhea (AWD) outbreak, putting millions of children at even more immediate risk, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said today. Immediate action is required to address it before more lives are lost unnecessarily from this highly contagious disease. The number of cases has rapidly increased in May 2017 alone – more than doubling in Yemen and almost doubling in South Sudan. There are now more than 130,000 cases of acute watery diarrhea and cholera, resulting in over 2,100 deaths across South Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Yemen.