MOGADISHU, Somalia, 30th June 2024 – In a landmark step to accelerate progress towards ending polio in Somalia and accelerating immunization coverage, the Prime Minister of Somalia, His Excellency Hamza Abdi Barre, on 29th June launched a national task force on immunization and polio and a child survival forum.
The Somalia Immunization and Polio Eradication Task Force (SIPE), which the Prime Minister himself will chair, will oversee polio eradication and immunization efforts across the country, mobilize financial to ensure that every child in Somalia is reached with lifesaving vaccines. The task force comprises key health officials at federal and state levels and international partners.
Speaking at the launch in Mogadishu, Prime Minister Barre reiterated his government’s commitment to stopping the transmission of polio by providing strong support and oversight of polio eradication and routine immunization interventions in Somalia.
“The establishment of the national task force on immunization and polio is a testament to my government’s commitment to this cause,” he acknowledged.” We commit to prevent the vaccine preventable diseases as a leading cause of child mortality and efforts to improve vaccination in Somali as priority for the Government”.
The task force signifies Somali’s commitment at a very high political level to stopping polio, which has been circulating in Somalia uninterrupted for seven years, and immunizing children against vaccine preventable diseases. South central Somalia is one of seven areas that have been identified by the Global Polio Eradication Programme as being ‘consequential geographies’ - they are prone to repeated polio outbreaks which are difficult to control because of overpopulation, fragile health systems, and conflict. The other areas are eastern Afghanistan; southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan; Tete province and its hinterland in northern Mozambique; eastern Democratic Republic of Congo; northern Yemen; and northern Nigeria. Outbreaks in these countries are potentially exported to other countries.
During the Launch, The FMOH DG, Dr Guled Abdijalil, presented recent prevalence of polio cases and immunisation status in Somalia in which Since 2021, Somalia has confirmed 16 cases of polio, all in the central south region. An estimated 1.5 million children have never been vaccinated and the country is one of five in the world with an under-5 mortality rate greater than 100 deaths per 1,000 live births. Without intensified efforts, Somalia is unlikely to meet its 2030 SDG target of 25 deaths per 1,000 live births.
The Prime Minister also launched the Child Survival Forum, which review current progress and devise strategies and an action plan to accelerate progress in reducing child mortality.
“I am proud to say that the Government of Somalia, along with our partners, has taken several steps to address these challenges, including initiatives such as Damal Caafimaad and Better Lives to ensure universal health coverage for all,” said Health Minister Dr. Ali Hajji Aadam Abubakar. “I call upon all to support integrated service delivery, especially for children.”
Speaking virtually, Dr Hanan Balkhy, Regional Director for WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region appreciated the commitment of the honourable Prime Minister and the Minister of Health in addressing the pressing health challenges facing children in Somalia. “This high-level forum will be instrumental in addressing the protection of more than 1.5 million ‘zero dose’ children who have never received a dose of life saving vaccines and help in bringing the longest-running outbreak of variant poliovirus to an end,” she said.
With 77,000 children dying every year before their fifth birthday, and Somalia in urgent need of accelerated progress to reduce these deaths, the government has stepped up the much-needed leadership. Later this year, Somalia will introduce the pneumococcal and rota vaccines to prevent deaths caused by pneumonia and diarrhoea, two of the leading causes of child mortality. At the global level, a resolution initiated by Somalia calling for accelerated action to end maternal and child mortality around the globe was adopted by the World Health Assembly during its meetings in May 2024, placing Somalia among countries leading from the front in tackling maternal and child mortality.
“The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is grateful for Somalia’s leadership and strong commitment to their children,” said Andrew Stein, deputy director on the polio team at The Gates Foundation. “Through the government’s leadership, in partnership with nongovernmental organizations, work to stop polio and increase access to immunization is more robust than ever. I am confident that Somalia will prevent thousands of cases of polio, measles, pneumonia, and vaccine-preventable diseases.”
At the heart of intensified efforts is immunization, which alone can prevent two-thirds of child deaths. Yet, current immunization services in Somalia fall short of the scale and consistency required to make a positive impact on mortality. A recent assessment of health facilities found that immunization services were available in only 56 per cent of public hospitals, 68 per cent of health centres, and 19 per cent of primary health care units.
“For Somalia to attain progress, immunization services need to be provided more widely and consistently in as many health facilities as possible,” said acting UNICEF Representative Charles Lolika. “We believe that with Somalia's resilience and determination, supported by partners and strategies and guidelines to enhance maternal and child health, rapid progress is possible.”
The challenges facing Somalia are well documented. Decades of conflict have complicated service delivery, and climate-induced shocks such as droughts and floods have displaced millions of people who now live in overcrowded areas with limited access to services. The country’s health system remains fragile, with inadequate human resources and a limited network of cold chain facilities for delivery of vaccines especially in remote and hard-to-reach areas.
Notes to editors
Download media content here.
For additional information, please contact:
- Mohamed Osman, Head of Communication and Public Engagement, Federal Ministry of Health, ( هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته. ).
- Victor Chinyama, Chief of Communication, UNICEF Somalia, هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته. .
- Fouzia Bano, Communications Officer, WHO Somalia, هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.