Severe flooding in the Horn of Africa has put 1.5 to 1.8 million people at risk of infectious disease and malnutrition. This crisis follows a prolonged drought that exposed over 8 million people in the region to extreme food insecurity. The heavy rains began in October and will continue to inundate large areas of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia through December. Flood waters have caused hundreds of deaths, massive displacement of people, and significant damage to livelihoods and infrastructure.

Major Health Impacts

Flooding has disrupted the region's water and sanitation systems, creating a severe shortage of safe drinking water and spreading dangerous contaminants. So far, over 40,000 cases of acute diarrhea have been reported, accounting for over 400 deaths. Other disease concerns include outbreaks of cholera, measles and malaria. Vaccination coverage rates for these endemic diseases are worryingly low in the region. Furthermore, disruption of the food supply and resulting malnutrition is expected to weaken people's immunity and increase disease vulnerability. The number of medical consultations reported in local health care facilities has increased two- to three-fold since the onset of flooding.

Challenges to Humanitarian Intervention

Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes and transportation has been hampered by flood damage to roads and other infrastructure. This social upheaval has disrupted routine health care and complicated humanitarian efforts to access the region. The World Health Organization (WHO) has outlined a number of priorities for action:

improve and restore water and sanitation systems;

conduct surveillance of disease outbreaks;

provide health services and food;

use indoor spraying to combat malaria;

immunize children in the camps for displaced people against measles; and

ensure a stockpile of essential drugs to treat waterborne diseases.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates that over $24 million will be needed for relief efforts.

RELATED LINKS:

Full News Story

World Health Organization, Health Action in Crises: Horn of Africa

ReliefWeb: Horn of Africa Flood Maps

EarthTrends:

Watersheds of the World: Africa - Jubba Watershed

Watersheds of the World: Africa - Shaballe Watershed

Public Health and Children's Health Indicators

Africa Finds New Solutions For Its Health Crisis (EarthTrends post)