Children Most Affected
Health officials and aid workers warn of a sharp rise in diphtheria across Somalia, with children making up more than 97% of those infected. The highly contagious bacterial illness, which can be prevented with vaccines, is spreading quickly due to low immunisation rates and difficult living conditions.
Sharp Increase in Infections
Dr Abdulrazaq Yusuf Ahmed, head of Demartino Hospital in Mogadishu, reported a dramatic spike. “In 2024, we saw just 49 cases, but in the first four months of 2025 alone, we’ve already treated 497 patients,” he said. Deaths have also climbed from 13 to 42.
Rising Nationwide Numbers
According to the health ministry, Somalia has recorded 1,616 infections and 87 deaths this year. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) highlighted that nearly all cases are among children under 15, citing insufficient vaccination, vaccine resistance, and overcrowding as main causes.
Limited Treatment Supplies
MSF medical coordinator Frida Athanassiadis warned that health facilities lack the resources to cope with the growing crisis. Initial emergency stocks of antitoxin have already run out, leaving the World Health Organization and Somalia’s health ministry to ration the few remaining doses where they are most needed.
Other Diseases on the Rise
Save the Children reported that from April to July, the combined cases of measles, cholera, diphtheria, whooping cough, and severe respiratory illnesses jumped from 22,600 to more than 46,000. Around 60% of the cases involved children under five. The organisation linked the surge to aid reductions that disrupted immunisation programs and essential health services.
Residents Speak Out
In Mogadishu, families describe the growing impact. “So many children in my community are ill, and some are in hospital,” said father Abdiwahid Ali. Shopkeeper Anab Hassan added: “A friend of mine lost her five-year-old daughter to diphtheria. Every day we hear about new children falling sick.”
