Somalia cholera outbreak one year later
The Ministry of Health of Somalia has announced 27 new suspected cases of cholera, with one death, reported in Banadir region for epidemiological week 46 (12 to 18 November) of 2018. Of these new cases, 44% (12) are female while 44% (12) are children below five years of age.
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During this reporting period, of the seven stool samples collected from suspected cholera cases and tested in the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), six samples were positive for Vibrio cholerae, serotype O1 Ogawa. The cumulative total of cases is 6587, including 45 associated deaths (case-fatality rate 0.7%), since the beginning of the current outbreak in December 2017 along the Shabelle River.
The number of weekly suspected cases has declined from a peak of 296 cases in epidemiological week 23 to 27 cases this week. For the last three weeks, the number of reported weekly cases ranges between 19 and 27. Only Banadir region has reported cases for six consecutive weeks, and this week active transmission of suspected cholera cases has been reported in seven districts in Banadir: Darkenley, Daynile, Hawlwadag, Hodan, Karran, Madina, and Waberi. None of the cases reported this week had received the oral cholera vaccination in 2017.
WHO is providing leadership and support to the Ministry of Health response efforts to this continued outbreak. WHO has continued to support clinical care delivery, including supervision and monitoring of case management in cholera treatment centers. Surveillance and prompt rumour investigation have been ongoing. All alerts have been responded to across the country through the early warning alert and response network (EWARN), and routine collection and analysis of stool samples have continued at the NPHL.
An oral cholera vaccination (OCV) campaign has been planned for February 2019, targeting 660 000 people living in internal displaced person (IDP) camps in six high-risk districts in Lower Jubba, Middle Shabelle, Lower Shabelle, and Banadir regions. Also, an expansion of reporting sites through the EWARN system has been planned, adding another 400 health facilities in the country.
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