According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), around 7 million Ethiopians are at risk of contracting cholera.

The UNOCHA issued its latest situation update on Thursday, warning of the spread of cholera disease in Ethiopia and revealing that the outbreak of the disease in the countrys Oromia, Somali, Southern, and Sidama regions has resulted in 6,157 cases of infection, with 94 deaths.

The UNOCA revealed that the current outbreak is among the longest outbreaks ever recorded in Ethiopia, with the first case recorded in August 2022. They explained that the excessive rains have brought with them flood emergencies in all cholera-affected regions.

According to official data, more than 1.9 million oral cholera vaccine (OCV) doses had been acquired and distributed in Ethiopia as of April 2023. The agency also noted that the response to the cholera outbreak in Ethiopia has been hampered by insufficient finance, limited partner participation in impacted regions, a scarcity of OCV doses, and a lack of water quality test kits. 

(Source: https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1081100 )