7 dead, over 700 cholera cases in Somalia: UN

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - At least seven deaths and over 700 cases have been reported in a cholera outbreak in Somalia, the United Nations said on Sunday.

A total of 732 cases were recorded across the country between Jan. 23 and Feb. 25, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).

It said seven deaths and 617 cases were reported in the central Hiran region and at least 115 cases were recorded in a week in the southeastern Banadir region, in which the capital Mogadishu is located.

"Three months after Deyr rains flooded parts of Somalia, acute water diarrhea (AWD)/cholera cases remain high … This situation could worsen when April-June rains start," the UN agency said in a tweet.

It said women and children under the age of five were most vulnerable and they would need more help if AWD/cholera cases surge after the next rainfall season.

A doctor in Beledweyne, the capital of the hard-hit Hiran region, told Anadolu Agency that most victims in the latest outbreak were children, women and the elderly.

"Children, pregnant women, and elderly people have been most affected. There are many in hospitals right now. We need the federal government, other states, and humanitarian agencies to send medical aid and doctors for our help,” said Hussein Abdihakin Mohamed.