The United Nations has issued a warning about the ongoing cholera outbreak in South-Eastern Ethiopia as the death toll rose to 94. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has declared the cholera outbreak in Ethiopia the longest, and it is spreading uncontrollably with a high risk of cross-border spread of the disease. The affected parts of the country have seen their health risks exacerbated by floods, amongst other issues.
According to the latest situation update issued by the UNOCHA on Friday, some 41 cholera treatment centres and units across affected areas are operational. In addition, approximately 35,850 people received clean drinking water as of the beginning of May. Figures from the UNOCHA show that about 100,000 people were previously vaccinated, while a new round of oral cholera vaccination campaign with 1.9 million doses available is scheduled for rollout in mid-May.
The UNOCHA, however, indicated that the coverage of this campaign is low, considering the population of over 7 million people living in and near the affected areas. It stressed that widening the coverage of oral cholera vaccinations would require more funds. It further added that strategic investments in safe drinking water supply systems, sanitation, and hygiene, can eliminate the risk of cholera, even in vulnerable communities affected by insecurity and displacement.
The UNOCHA, therefore, encouraged all concerned parties to invest in pragmatic health interventions and to work towards averting any possibility of cross-border cholera spread by mounting a sustainable response.
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