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Ethiopia Emergency Response - Situation Report, 22 May - 27 May 2016

Countries
Ethiopia
Sources
WHO
Publication date

Background

The El Niño-related drought continues to affect millions of Ethiopians, deepening food insecurity, malnutrition and increasing water shortages. The belg rain failure, erratic meher rains and flash floods have exacerbated these conditions in some areas. Additional health risks include the further spread of acute watery diarrhoea (AWD), measles and severe acute malnutrition (SAM). There is also an increased risk of outbreaks of yellow fever in the country. WHO is working in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and partners to respond to disease outbreaks and severe acute malnutrition.

Highlights

Acute Water Diarrhoea (AWD)

• AWD outbreak is still on going in 10 woredas in six zones of Oromia and Somali regions. By week 20, a total of 1, 884 AWD cases and 19 deaths had been reported. During the same week, a new area, Dolo Bay woreda in Somali region was affected.

• The AWD outbreak in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' (SNNP) region is over, based on zero cases reported for more than six weeks.

• The on going outbreak needs serious attention because it has become prolonged and new woredas are getting affected.

Suspected yellow fever

• A total of 22 suspected yellow fever cases and 5 deaths (CFR = 22.7%) were reported from South Ari woreda, South Omo Zone in the SNNP region.

Measles

• A total of 4,350 suspected measles cases have been reported since the beginning of the year.

• 3,594 total confirmed cases (466 Lab Confirmed, 2,889 epi-linked and 239 clinically compatible)

Malnutrition

• A total of 4,825 SAM cases were reported in week 19 of 2016; Oromia region accounted for 47% of the cases, SNNPR (22.4%) and Somali, 9%. The inpatient rate for SAM cases in week 19 was 9.8% at national level, higher than the acceptable rate (10%).

• WHO is providing support to FMoH for the Multi-agency 2016 Belg season assessment led by the National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC).