The Somali strategy for Cholera prevention and control 2020-2024

Cholera is an acute gastrointestinal infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio Cholerae serogroup O1 or O139, <span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">and</span> is often linked to unsafe drinking water, lack of proper sanitation <span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">and</span> personal hygiene. It adversely affects mostly the poor <span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">and</span> vulnerable populations in countries, which are already deprived of proper health facilities <span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">and</span> conducive environmental conditions. The disease spreads through oro-fecal transmission by the ingestion of contaminated food or water or by person-to-person contact. It has a short incubation period of 2 hours to 5 days <span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">and</span> the number of affected cases can rapidly increase across large regions. Cholera is a significant threat to global public health leading to an estimated 3-5 million cases per year worldwide, with an annual toll of 100,000 deaths. The disease was first reported in 1817 from the Ganges Delta of India <span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">and</span> since then the ongoing 7th pandemic has emerged from Indonesia, reached Africa in 1970 <span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">and</span> Somalia happens to be one of the early affected countries. Over the past few decades, Somalia has witnessed the occurrence of repeated AWD/Cholera disease outbreaks that have caused high morbidity <span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">and</span> mortality across the country.