UN says over 2,000 cholera cases reported in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia in Jan.-Feb.

Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-21 20:51:39|Editor: xuxin
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ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- More than 2,000 cholera cases were reported in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia during the first two months of 2020, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has said.

"So far in 2020, there have been over 2,000 cases of cholera in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, while Sudan was declared cholera-free as of Jan. 23, 2020," the UNOCHA said in its latest humanitarian update statement issued late Thursday.

It called for greater concerted efforts against cholera and other communicable diseases across the region.

"Measles outbreaks are ongoing in Ethiopia, Kenya and South Sudan, while cases of Chikungunya and Leishmaniasis (a disease caused by an intracellular protozoan parasite transmitted by the bite of a female phlebotomine sandfly) have been reported in Kenya, dengue and polio in Ethiopia and hepatitis E in South Sudan," the UNOCHA statement said.

It noted that other humanitarian challenges are exacerbating the situation.

"The ongoing desert locust upsurge comes at a time when the region is battling multiple communicable disease outbreaks," the statement said.

About 12.3 million people are now forcibly displaced across the region, including 8.1 million internally displaced ones.

UNOCHA also emphasized the humanitarian impacts of recurrent humanitarian calamities that are associated with recent extreme weather events emanated from the climate crisis in the Horn of Africa region.

In addition to the three Horn of Africa countries that are Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, the Red Sea nation of Djibouti also witnessed a surge in vector-induced public health perils early last month, which caused diseases such as dengue and Chikungunya, following heavy rains that triggered flash floods.

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