Key Takeaways
- The cholera outbreak has affected 42 districts in Ethiopia’s SNNP Region, with over 4,000 reported cases.
- WHO is providing technical experts and capacity‑building training to improve outbreak management.
- UNFPA warns of continued humanitarian challenges, including displacement, drought, and disease.
ADDIS ABABA: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday disclosed that a cholera outbreak, which started in August 2022, has spread to 42 districts of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region (SNNP Region) of Ethiopia.
The spread has resulted in more than 4,000 cases across the region.
The UN health agency said in a press release that it is working with the Ethiopian government and partner agencies to provide support to cholera-affected areas of the region.
The assistance WHO is currently providing includes the deployment of technical experts to affected areas, and undertaking capacity-building training on cholera outbreak management. The WHO also said with the ongoing assistance, it expects Ethiopian medical professionals to be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively treat patients as well as put measures in place to prevent further transmissions.
Earlier this month, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) warned that Ethiopia would continue to face huge humanitarian challenges, with conflict and displacement, extended drought, floods and disease outbreaks as the main drivers of need.
The UNFPA said although humanitarian partners are providing life-saving support that includes shelter, non-food items, water and protection services, a scale-up of assistance is needed to support the expected new arrivals in the following months of 2023.
