A rapidly spreading cholera outbreak in Somalia's central Hiran region, caused by severe flooding, is alarming as it affects the most vulnerable populations, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said in a statement.
"The outbreak presents a grave public health crisis, with the majority of cases being severe, and affecting the most vulnerable population," the IRC said.
The committee added that the surge in cholera makes 980 cases reported in the first two weeks of the year, a 48% increase over the corresponding two weeks last year, with more than 55% of the cases detected in children under the age of five.
More than half of the cases reported in January were reported in the Hiran region before the outbreak spread throughout the region, the IRC said, calling for immediate action to contain the further spread of the disease.
"The severity of the situation calls for immediate action to curb the further spread of the disease. A national Cholera Task Force has been activated, which is urgently seeking funding to scale up cholera response activities in affected regions," the organization noted.
The outbreak is linked to the El Niño weather phenomenon, which has brought relentless rains to East African countries since early November, flooding homes and farmland.
In November 2023, floods in Somalia killed 32 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. According to the UN, the number of victims could exceed 1.6 million, and 1.5 million hectares of agricultural land were destroyed.
El Niño is typically associated with an increase in heat waves around the world, as well as drought in some parts of the world and heavy rainfall elsewhere.