The Ministry of Health of Somalia receives medical equipment and supplies for 28 health facilities in Mogadishu. Photo credit: WHO Somalia/I. Taxta18 April 2024, Mogadishu, Somalia – Biomedical equipment and essential medicines are to reach 28 health facilities across Somalia thanks to the “Every Breath Counts” project, funded by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KS Relief). The Federal Ministry of Health kicked off the distribution of the supplies in collaboration with the WHO Country Office in Somalia.

The project supports quality emergency care of severe cases of pneumonia and diarrhoea for children. A child born in Somalia today is almost 20 times more likely to die by the age of 5 years than a child born elsewhere due to childhood diseases. Therefore, “Every Breath Counts” aims to reduce childhood pneumonia- and diarrhoea-related morbidity and mortality in Somalia.

Under the KS Relief-funded project, WHO Somalia supports the state-level of health ministries with the provision of life-saving health interventions in primary health centres and referral hospitals. This is done in line with WHO guidelines for the integrated management of newborn and childhood illnesses. Support provided for the health facilities includes the establishment of triage protocols and oral rehydration treatment corners, and provision of medical oxygen and essential medicines.

Dr Guled Abdi Jalil Ali, Director-General of the Federal Ministry of Health of Somalia, officiated the handover ceremony of medical equipment and supplies. Representatives from the KS Relief country team, the Ministry and WHO Somalia were present.

Speaking in appreciation of WHO Somalia’s technical support and the financial support of KS Relief, Dr Guled said: “Considering that child mortality from all causes in Somalia remains the highest in the world, this project is a critical contribution to help improve the coverage and quality of care for our children, with a focus on the main killer diseases, and to build health care capacities.”

Following the recipient of the equipment and medical supplies, the state-level health ministries, with support from WHO Somalia, will deliver equipment and supplies to the targeted facilities to improve the quality of care. In addition, supplies, such as vitamin A, folic acid, albendazole (deworming tablets), zinc and oral rehydration solution, will be distributed at the community level through community health workers to strengthen the delivery of health services.

Mr Mohamed Omar Hassan, Media Officer at KS Relief country team in Somalia, thanked the Federal Ministry of Health and WHO Somalia for their hard work in implementing the project and for their ongoing and successful partnership.

For more information, please contact:

Fouzia Bano, Communications Officer, WHO Somalia
Email: هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.

Saeed Ahmed, Donor Reporting Officer, WHO Somalia
Email: هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.

For more details about WHO’s response across Somalia, see:

Every Breath Counts: increasing access to medical oxygen in Somalia

Partners commit to take bold steps to boost routine immunization and child health in Somalia

A health worker vaccinates a child from a nomadic family, Puntland. WHO/WHO Somalia16 April 2024, Mogadishu, Somalia – Somalia’s Minister of Health and Human Services His Excellency Dr Ali Haji Adam and high-level representatives of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative met virtually yesterday to review progress and further scale up efforts to end the country’s 7-year variant poliovirus outbreak.

H.E. Dr Adam presented the Somalia Emergency Action Plan (SEAP) 3, which builds on measures taken so far and will fill existing gaps in polio eradication efforts. The plan prioritizes robust, high-quality polio vaccination campaigns and better poliovirus surveillance. Efforts will also be targeted at high-risk populations in hard-to-reach areas and where variant poliovirus is circulating, as well as underserved, displaced and nomadic communities.

The Minister also shared updates on the planned Big Catch-up campaign, which aims to accelerate vaccination of zero-dose children – who have received no vaccines – and capitalize on integration with other health and nutrition services.

Meeting delegates included Dr Chris Elias, Chair of the Polio Oversight Board and President of Global Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Mr John Vertefeuille, Director, Global Immunization Division, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Ms Patience Musanhu, Senior Country Manager, Country Programmes Delivery at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Ms Etleva Kadilli, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa; and Dr Hamid Jafari, Director, Polio Eradication, World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region. Ms Wafaa Saeed Abdelatef, UNICEF Representative in Somalia, and Dr Reinhilde Van de Weerdt, WHO Representative to Somalia, also joined the meeting.

“Stopping poliovirus transmission is one of our government’s top priorities,” said H.E. Dr Ali Haji Adam, Minister of Health and Human Services for Somalia. “We are deeply committed to providing our children better access to vaccines that protect them from polio and other easily preventable diseases, alongside other essential health and nutrition services.”

The ongoing variant poliovirus outbreak, the longest running of its kind, has so far paralysed 38 children in Somalia. Through SEAP 3, Somalia will continue to work with humanitarian partners to reach about 1.5 million zero-dose children, most of whom live in the country’s highly populated central and southern areas.

“We applaud the Government of Somalia for their progress in eradicating polio and increasing access to immunization for all people living in Somalia. With continued commitment and momentum, Somalia will stop transmission of polio, improve immunization coverage, and enable a healthier society,” said Dr Chris Elias, Chair of the Polio Oversight Board and President of Global Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Somalia is seen as one of the world’s 6 most critical locations for polio transmission, known as consequential geographies, owing to the high risk of poliovirus spread to other countries.

“We commend the dedication of Somalia’s leadership towards urgently preventing any further transmission and spread of polio, currently the only public health emergency of international concern,” said Dr Hamid Jafari, Director, Polio Eradication, WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. “We call on all humanitarian and development agencies in Somalia to support the government in its critical endeavours.”

“We are grateful for the government’s commitment and leadership that has started to revitalize efforts towards polio eradication,” said Ms Etleva Kadilli, UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa. “The upcoming Big Catch-up vaccination campaign is a great opportunity to accelerate progress and narrow the chronic immunity gap. Reaching unvaccinated children is challenging and strong leadership at the federal and state levels is crucial to Somalia’s efforts to eliminate vaccine-preventable diseases. UNICEF stands by at all levels to support the efforts of the Somali people and government.”

Somalia is also currently grappling with a measles outbreak. The country faces complex challenges, including recurrent drought, floods and persistent insecurity, which have affected health service delivery and spurred population movement over the years.

For more information, contact:

Ministry of Health and Human Services Communications Office
Email: هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.

Fouzia Bano, Communications Officer, WHO Somalia
Email: هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.

Victor Chinyama, Chief of Communications, UNICEF Somalia
Telephone: +25 26 13 37 58 85

24 March 2024, Mogadishu, Somalia – WHO Somalia, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Human Services, marks World Tuberculosis Day 2024 with a renewed commitment to end the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic. Under the theme “Yes! We can end TB!”, WHO aims to inspire hope and promote high-level leadership, increased investments, faster uptake of new WHO recommendations and innovations, and multisectoral collaboration to combat TB.

“Somalia’s TB programme has weathered recurring climatic shocks, insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic to show an 87% treatment success rate, 14% decrease in TB incidence, and increase in TB treatment centres from a mere 7 to 109 in the past 2 decades,” said Mr Mohamed Jafar, National TB Programme Manager, Federal Ministry of Health and Human Services. “Even though we are making progress, we still need more support to sustain the gains made over the years, especially in the form of molecular testing machines and outreach activities, as both are critical for case detection.”

TB is a major public health problem in Somalia. Despite the country’s fragility, Somalia’s TB programme has made significant progress since it was re-established in 1995 following its collapse early in the civil war. TB incidence has reduced from 286 cases per 100 000 population in 2010 to 246 cases per 100 000 population in 2023 – a 14% decrease over 14 years.

The number of TB treatment centres in Somalia grew from just 7 centres in 1995 to 109 centres in 2023. TB cases enrolled on treatment have also gradually increased in number, from 10 469 cases per year in 2010 to 18 604 cases per year in 2023. Overall, during this period, the programme enrolled a total of 211 554 TB cases on treatment. The programme successfully saved the lives of 184 052 TB cases from 2010 to 2023 – giving an average treatment success rate of 87%.

WHO Somalia helped the Ministry of Health to establish Somalia’s first treatment centre for drug-resistant TB in 2013 and there are now 11 such centres, which together cover the whole country. Since 2015, a total of 2021 drug-resistant TB cases have been enrolled for treatment. Nearly 1456 of these cases were successfully treated (average treatment success rate of 72%).

Status of TB treatment in Somalia

Management of Somalia’s TB programme is based on WHO’s End TB Strategy, which involves adopting all its diagnostic and treatment regimens. The programme has deployed 100  molecular testing machines, 10 of which are coloured modules for rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis, including cases resistant to second-line TB drugs.

Introduction of this module is proving to be a game-changer in the diagnosis of drug-resistant TB in Somalia. Multidrug resistance can now be diagnosed in the country’s peripheral TB centres instead of solely at its TB culture laboratories. It has three TB culture laboratories capable of diagnosing TB drug resistance to second line TB drugs.

The TB programme is slowly but surely integrating into the country’s emerging primary health care system and private sector. Currently, nearly 50% of the TB centres are fully integrated with primary health care. Also, 7 private hospitals are implementing National TB programme policies to manage TB cases, including reporting quarterly to the TB programme.

Referral mechanisms are also in place to connect other private health providers to the National TB programme. In addition, community involvement in the programme is a key priority, not least because community health workers play an active role in identification and referral of potential TB cases. They also promote treatment adherence and advocacy in the community.

Dr Sindani Ireneaus Sebit, WHO’s focal person for Somalia’s TB programme, said: “As a major partner to the National TB programme, WHO continues to provide essential technical assistance to the Ministry of Health and plays a vital role in TB drug management to ensure that TB drugs are available to patients at their convenience, with no chance of stock-outs.” He added: “As we celebrate World TB Day, let us remember that with the effective coordination created in country among various partners and by exploring further resources, ‘Yes! We can end TB!’ in Somalia.”

For more information, please contact: 

Fouzia Bano, Communications Officer, WHO Somalia
Email: هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.  

Saeed Ahmed, Reporting/External Relations Officer, WHO Somalia

Email: هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.  

https://www.emro.who.int/somalia/news/world-tb-day-2022-getting-back-on-track-to-diagnose-and-report-tb-cases-to-save-lives.html

ECHO-funded project helped equip 11 nutrition stablisation centres across target districts with severe acute malnutrition kits to record a cumulative average cure rate of 94.25% amongst under five children. Photo Credit: WHOSom/I. Taxta18 March, 2024 - Mogadishu, Somalia - The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO), with funding from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (EU ECHO), have supported the Federal and State Ministries of Health to provide lifesaving health supplies and services to over 5 million people across drought-affected areas of Banadir, South West, Jubbaland and Galmudug states in Somalia.

The 24-month ECHO-funded project is to increase access to life-saving health and nutrition services for populations within IDP camps and host communities and addressing the needs of pregnant and lactating women, elderly individuals, and children under five in drought and conflict-affected areas.

Both the WHO and UNFPA supported federal and state ministries of health, and partner organizations to provide life-saving preventative and care services through the procurement and distribution of essential medical supply for effective case management of severe acute malnutrition with medical complications in children, essential health and severe malnutrition kits (including reproductive health kits), as well as to support the timely detection and response to outbreaks. The beneficiaries of these health interventions included over 50% of women and over 1.2 million under-five years of age children in the drought-affected communities.

Simultaneously, the WHO and UNFPA partnership helped mitigate the impact of flash flooding resulting from El-Nino impact in Jubbaland and surrounding states by providing healthcare services to internally displaced populations towards the last quarters of 2023.

Mr. Niyi Ojuolape, UNFPA Somalia Country Representative, commented, 'We are committed to mitigating the impact of drought and conflict on vulnerable populations, particularly pregnant women and young children.'

Dr Renee Van de Weerdt, WHO Representative to Somalia, while appreciating the collaboration between WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and the Ministry of Health said, 'The drought and food insecurity have severely impacted people health and the Somalian health system. WHO is committed to support the government of Somalia to make the health system more resilient and adapted to climate-related events .'

With support from ECHO, UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO and its health cluster partners will continue to support the government of Somalia with the procurement and distribution of medical supplies to manage severe acute malnutrition, provide emergency obstetric and neonatal care and other reproductive health services, and better detect and respond to outbreaks until April 2025.

For media inquiries, please contact:

UNFPA, Somalia: Fatimah Shah, Communications & Advocacy Specialist, هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.

WHO, Somalia: Fouzia Bano, Communications Officer, هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.

*Note to Editors:

ECHO is the Humanitarian Aid department of the European Commission that provides emergency assistance and relief to the victims of natural disasters or armed conflict outside the European Union.

UNFPA is the United Nations’ (UN) agency that promotes reproductive health, gender equality, and population development to improve the well-being of individuals and communities worldwide.

WHO is the UN’s specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health and leading the health cluster in Somalia.

This project builds on ECHO’s previous support to WHO’s drought response entitled “Support to essential life-saving primary healthcare services and epidemic detection and response through the procurement and distribution of essential medical equipment, supplies and medicines to drought-affected districts in Somalia”.

Further information is available at

WHO EMRO | ECHO and WHO deliver essential and life-saving medical supplies to meet emergency health needs of drought-affected communities |

https://www.emro.who.int/somalia/news/cholera-cases-on-the-rise-in-somalia-amid-rising-displacement-of-people.html

[1] https://www.emro.who.int/somalia/priority-areas/drought-response.html