The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Headline: 129,000 people in South Sudan and Somalia are “staring death in the eyes”, according to the World Health Organization
Millions in the greater Horn of Africa are facing acute hunger as the region struggles with one of the worst droughts in recent decades with 129, 000 people - out of which 96,000 in Somalia and 33,000 in South Sudan - confronting starvation, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda are particularly affected by the dire food insecurity and health crisis. 48 million people are facing crisis levels of food insecurity, meaning families are skipping meals and are likely to have depleted their savings.
“We are seeing a serious surge in disease outbreaks and the highest number of malnourished children in years, and all this against the backdrop of a deteriorating outlook in terms of food insecurity,” said Liesbeth Aelbrecht, WHO Incident Manager, speaking on Zoom from Nairobi to journalists at the United Nations in Geneva.
As families face severe food insecurity, many have left their homes in search of food and water, and pasture for animals. According to WHO, large-scale displacement is often accompanied by a deterioration in hygiene and sanitation and the outbreaks of infectious diseases.
All seven countries are battling measles outbreaks while there are cholera outbreaks in four countries. Malaria has been particularly serious in Sudan were more than 330,000 cases and 262 deaths were reported in the first 6 weeks this year. Somalia and Sudan reported dengue outbreaks.
WHO is concerned about outbreaks of infectious diseases, especially when combined with low existing vaccination coverage and health service availability.
“Almost 12 million children under the age of 5 are projected to be malnourished in this region,” so Ms. Aelbrecht. She added that “this is a region that hosts a large number of refugees, it has accumulated millions of IDPs over the years. But on top of that, today we see more than 2 million drought induced displaced. So, these are really people who have fled their homes looking for water, for humanitarian assistance”.
Most parts of the region are battling the worst drought in at least 40 years while other parts have been affected by flooding, leading to widespread hunger.
With projections of another below average rainy season in March till May, the crisis is foreseen to continue.
64 per cent of suspected meningitis cases in Ethiopia were reported from the drought affected regions.
“The frequency of these disease outbreaks can be directly linked to these extreme weather events and to climate change,” said Ms. Aelbrecht. “I personally want to witness, I have been working on and off to this region for almost 25 years now, and in terms of accumulated emergencies, this is as bad as I have ever seen it”.
According to WHO, nutritional deficiencies make people increasingly vulnerable to disease. This is particularly true for children, for whom the combination of malnutrition and disease can prove fatal.
“Malnutrition in combination with disease are often a deadly cocktail. You know, for example, a malnourished child that gets measles is much more likely to die,” said WHO’s Incident Manager.
WHO is asking for USD 178 million for 2023 to carry out live-saving work.
-ends-
STORY: Health Crisis Horn of Africa - WHO
TRT: 1 min 53s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 10 March 2023 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Wide shot, UN Geneva flag alley.
- Wide shot, press room with speaker
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Liesbeth Aelbrecht, WHO Incident Manager: “We are seeing a serious surge in disease outbreaks and the highest number of malnourished children in years, and all this against the backdrop of a deteriorating outlook in terms of food insecurity.”
- Medium shot, journalists in front of screen with speakers
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Liesbeth Aelbrecht, WHO Incident Manager: “Almost 12 million children under the age of 5 are projected to be malnourished in this region. This is a region that hosts a large number of refugees, it has accumulated millions of IDPs over the years. But on top of that, today we see more than 2 million drought induced displaced. So, these are really people who have fled their homes looking for water, for humanitarian assistance.”
- Medium shot, journalists
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Liesbeth Aelbrecht, WHO Incident Manager: “The frequency of these disease outbreaks can be directly linked to these extreme weather events and to climate change. I personally want to witness, I have been working on and off to this region for almost 25 years now, and in terms of accumulated emergencies, this is as bad as I have ever seen it.”
- Close up, hands typing on laptop
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Liesbeth Aelbrecht, WHO Incident Manager: “Malnutrition in combination with disease are often a deadly cocktail. You know, for example, a malnourished child that gets measles is much more likely to die.”
- Wide shot, press briefing room
- Medium shot, journalists
- Wide shot, journalists
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
At least six million people in Somalia are going days without enough food, UN aid teams warned on Friday, highlighting that nearly two million of this number are young children “at high risk of illness or death”.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO
Children shot, stabbed and pepper-sprayed in occupied West Bank; scores of Gaza amputees denied prosthetics, aid teams warn
Israeli military operations and surging settler attacks in the occupied West Bank are killing and maiming Palestinian children, while in Gaza tens of thousands with life-changing injuries lack access to treatment and rehabilitation, UN agencies warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
The risk of hantavirus spreading to the general population is “absolutely low”, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) stressed on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , IFRC
Death and destruction have continued unabated in Lebanon while communities are still unable to return to their homes despite a ceasefire that began on 17 April, humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Deadly hantavirus on board cruise ship may be transmitted among humans - WHO
Hantavirus victims on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean may have been infected prior to joining the cruise and human-to-human transmission on board cannot be ruled out – although it is rare - the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN rights chief concerned by upheld convictions of Cambodian activists.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , OHCHR
Middle East crisis puts aid, food, fuel further out of reach for millions already struggling – UN agencies
As the Middle East crisis continues the humanitarian fallout is worsening, with aid route disruptions and food and fuel price hikes wrecking the lives and rights of the most vulnerable, UN agencies warned on Friday.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNMAS
Demining experts from around the world have been sharing their collective shock at the widespread and growing threat from unexploded ordnance, the new head of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) said on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office in Syria conducted a 5-day visit to the northeast of the country where they received accounts of human rights violations and abuses.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Sudan: ‘History repeating itself’ for Darfur’s children - UNICEF
Mass atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur 20 years ago reverberated as far as Hollywood, but today, a new generation of children faces attacks, hunger and displacement in an emergency largely ignored by the outside world, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNMAS
Desperate and dangerous conditions in Gaza continue to hamper recovery efforts for the wartorn enclave's people, the UN health agency said on Friday, while demining experts warned that they’ve “barely scratched the surface” in assessing the level of contamination of unexploded ordnance.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News
The continued support of UN Member States to Lebanon will be “indispensable” to boost the country’s national armed forces and provide humanitarian assistance with more than one million people still uprooted by the Middle East war, the UN's peacekeeping chief said on Wednesday.