UN warns that Cholera epidemic is spreading in Somalia

 

United Nations health officials have warned of serious cholera outbreaks in various regions of the already famine-stricken Somalia.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says some 4,272 cases of acute watery diarrhea have been recorded in the capital Mogadishu so far this year.

The agency says more than 180 people have already fallen victim to the disease in Mogadishu and surrounding areas and that half of the victims are children under the age of two.

The UN has warned that the deadly illness could quickly spread to the south as many possible carriers flee the famine that’s hit some 12.5 million people in the Horn of Africa.

The United Nations has called for more money, saying it has only received 48 percent of the requested 2.4 billion dollars for humanitarian aid and that lack of funding is hindering the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Meanwhile, Iran has sent a second humanitarian aid convoy to drought-stricken Somalia. Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says the country also plans to donate 25-million dollars to help with relief efforts.

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