MOGADISHU, 11 October 2020- On World Mental Health Day this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) in Somalia urged policy-makers, international and national agencies, and other civil society groups to scale up mental health services in Somalia. This request comes at a time when Somalis are faced with the consequences of the triple threat of COVID-19, flooding and desert locusts, in addition to other regular health and socioeconomic challenges.

According to estimates, one in every three Somalis is affected by a challenge related to their mental health. Unfortunately, however, there are only a few health facilities offering mental health services—for a country of 15 million, there are only 3 psychiatrists and 25 trained nurses dealing with mental health.

“Only when communities have access to good health in a holistic manner, physically and emotionally, can we have a peaceful, progressive and productive society,” said Dr Mamunur Malik, WHO Representative for Somalia. “We all need to join hands to ensure every Somali has access to mental health services, particularly psychosocial support at primary health care level.”

Dr Malik emphasized the inevitable health, economic and social costs that come with dismissing mental health problems. He explained that the burden of coping with diseases such as COVID-19 would only exacerbate the situation and result in more Somalis having to deal with unaddressed anxiety, stress and fear.

Since the first World Mental Health Day, launched 30 years ago, significant efforts have been made around the world to encourage people to talk openly about mental health conditions. In Somalia, there is a need to stop the stigma and discrimination against people suffering from mental health challenges. There is also a need to put an end to violence, and abuses orchestrated against those who are facing mental health problems.

The global theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day is ‘Move for Mental Health: let’s invest.’ In Somalia, in efforts to highlight the importance of ensuring mental health services are accessible by all, and to ensure that this becomes the norm for future generations, the country is commemorating the day with the theme ‘Investing in mental health is investing in Somalia’s future.’

The Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Mr Adam Abdelmoula, released a recorded video message on World Mental Health Day, which is being broadcast across the WHO Somalia country office’s social media channels. In his message, he called for increasing development assistance from all humanitarian and development partners of Somalia to improve mental health services.

As mental health is fundamental to good health and the well-being of the population, WHO is urging all its partners and donors, including all UN agencies, to urgently scale up their support for mental health in the country and to break the cycle of neglect, lack of awareness, stigma and discrimination, which are often the drivers of poor mental health in any country.

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For additional information, kindly contact:

Ms Fouzia Bano

WHO Somalia Communications Officer

Email: هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته. ; Tel: +252 619 235 880

Mogadishu, 23 September 2020 – As part of continuous efforts to provide life-saving supplies to the most vulnerable Somalis, at the request of WHO, the European Union (EU) delegation to Somalia commissioned 2 special flights on 17 and 21 September to airlift emergency medical kits and supplies to Hirshabelle State. These supplies will be used to treat populations affected by flash floods in the state.

As soon as the Ministry of Health in Hirshabelle State noted an increase in the numbers of people contracting waterborne diseases, they alerted WHO to offer urgent support. The emergency supplies are being dispatched to the hardest-hit families, living around riverine areas in Balad, Beletweyne, Jalalaqsi, Jowhar and Mahaday.

“This is the fourth time this year that the EU delegation has shown immense and timely support to Somalia. Thanks to the swift action taken by them, and with guidance from the Ministry of Health in Hirshabelle, we have been able to support some of the worst-hit families,” said Dr Mamunur Rahman Malik, WHO Representative for Somalia. “We still have a long way to go to help prepare communities for disasters like this. Floods are recurrent along the Shabelle River, communities living in affected areas are at risk of being infected by waterborne diseases, like diarrhoea, and vector-borne diseases, in addition to COVID-19, which spreads easily where people live in confined areas.”

Both EU flights commissioned in the last week carried 7.2 tonnes and 29 cubic metres of emergency supplies from Mogadishu to Jowhar. The supplies include 51 Interagency Emergency Health (IEH) kits, each providing essential health care in emergency settings for up to 10 000 people over a 3-month period; 104 trauma kits allowing for 10 400 surgical interventions, to serve 5200 patients; 446 cholera kits capable of serving 44 600 patients, 32 surgical kits, each serving 100 patients; sample collection kits; tubes for sample collection and dengue testing kits; surgical instruments and one cholera treatment centre tent of 20 beds. Over 563 000 persons will benefit from these life-saving emergency medical supplies, which will stop further spread of waterborne diseases among communities living along the Shabelle River.

"Already vulnerable families in Beletweyne, Jalalaqsi, Jowhar, Mahaday and other communities along the Shabelle River are facing life and death situations as a result of flash floods, in addition to the challenges caused by COVID-19," the EU Ambassador to Somalia Nicolas Berlanga said. "The latest EU-commissioned flights are further evidence of the European Union’s commitment to the people of Somalia and our belief that we are more effective when we join hands with other organizations such as WHO Somalia. Our cooperation has and will continue to save lives."

Note to editors

This joint operation remains part of the bilateral coordination mechanism established between WHO Somalia and the Delegation of the EU to Somalia, which aims to strengthen operational response activities, including for COVID-19. On 3 May, EU flights also airlifted critical medical equipment and supplies from Mogadishu to Kismayo to support Jubaland State to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. Following this intervention, on 20 and 21 May, the EU airlifted life-saving medicine and other emergency hospital supplies to Jowhar, Kismayo and Baidoa ‒ areas which were also affected recently by floods caused by heavy rains. Two other flights were organized on 11–12 June to airlift life-saving medicine and other emergency hospital supplies to Beletweyne, as well as medical and laboratory supplies to Hargeisa and Garowe. In addition, the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) has provided US $1.8 million to WHO’s COVID-19 preparedness and response operations in Somalia. WHO and the EU delegation to Somalia will continue to collaborate in the future, in efforts to reach the most vulnerable populations.

Related links

WHO and EU unite to fight COVID-19 in Somalia

EU and WHO unite to deliver critical life-saving supplies to flood-affected areas in Somalia

European Union and WHO Somalia deliver more emergency hospital supplies

For further information:

Mr Kyle DeFreitas
External Relations & Resource Mobilization Officer
WHO Somalia
Mob: +254-782-501-324
Email: هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.

Ms. Fouzia Bano
Communications Officer
WHO Somalia
Mob: +252 619 235880
Email: هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.

Mr Vicente Sellés
Delegation of the European Union to the Federal Republic of Somalia
Email: هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.

Mogadishu, 21 September 2020— The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are urging parents and caregivers in south and central parts of Somalia to ensure all children aged under five are vaccinated against polio during a special house-to-house immunization campaign, which began yesterday and runs until 23 September. Both agencies are advising health workers and caregivers to observe health and safety measures against COVID-19 during the four-day campaign.

This advice comes in the wake of efforts to curb the spread of the ongoing polio outbreak in the south and central parts of Somalia. The strain of polio that is in circulation is different from the wild poliovirus, recently declared as eradicated from Africa, but it can also put communities where not enough children have been vaccinated at risk and leave children paralyzed for life. The outbreak has paralyzed 19 children since late 2017.

“The only way to stop such outbreaks from vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio, is to vaccinate every child every time immunization services are offered, either through routine programmes or through such mass campaigns. We all have a moral responsibility to reach and boost the immunity of every last child in Somalia. Owing to access, security and health-seeking behaviour, we are missing a large number of children every year, who are not receiving these life-saving vaccines,” said Dr Mamunur Rahman Malik, WHO Representative for Somalia.

During the ongoing campaign, 6266 vaccinators in urban areas and 2685 vaccinators in rural areas will be going from door to door to vaccinate 1.65 million children aged under five with oral polio vaccine. In efforts to reach every child possible, an additional 1125 team supervisors will be visiting households in targeted areas. 3390 community mobilizers, sensitizing target communities, will play a key role in helping families to understand, trust and accept vaccines.

“It is critical that all routine immunizations continue, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Werner Schultink, UNICEF Representative for Somalia. “These vaccination drives will help prevent further outbreaks and will protect children from deadly diseases so they can survive and thrive.”

Before the campaign, polio health workers were trained and supplied with personal protective equipment, including face masks, soap and hand sanitizer, to keep them and communities safe from COVID-19.

This campaign is the first step in a two-part effort to raise immunity levels among Somali children. Somalia’s Government, WHO and UNICEF will conduct the second part of the campaign in October to continue to strengthen the immunity of Somali children. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to accept the vaccine when it is offered to give their children life-long protection against polio.

For additional information, please contact

Fouzia Bano
WHO Somalia Communications Officer
Email: هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته. ;
+252 619 235880

Eva Hinds
UNICEF Somalia Communication Manager
Email: هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته. ;
Tel: +252 613 642635

Notes to editors

There are multiple strains of polio, and there is a critical distinction between wild or naturally occurring poliovirus, which is today only found in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the strain circulating in Somalia today.

In late August 2020, the world celebrated a historic moment: the end of wild poliovirus in Africa. This achievement still stands. There is no wild poliovirus on the African continent. But other strains of polio remain a threat as long as there are communities with low immunity levels.

The only way to eradicate all strains of polio is to vaccinate all children everywhere against polio. In places where polio transmission has long been stopped and immunity levels are high, inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) is used. In places at high risk of poliovirus circulation, and where immunity levels are not as high as they need to be, the best tool for the job is the oral polio vaccine (OPV), which is being used in this vaccination campaign.

This polio campaign is supported by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), an organization dedicated to the eradication of polio. Launched in 1988, the GPEI is spearheaded by national governments, the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and UNICEF, and supported by key partners including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.