Children Most Affected by the Outbreak
Somalia is experiencing a sharp rise in diphtheria cases, with health officials warning that the majority of those infected are children. More than 97% of the cases involve minors, highlighting the vulnerability of young people to this vaccine-preventable but deadly bacterial infection.
Hospitals Report Soaring Numbers
Dr Abdulrazaq Yusuf Ahmed, director of Demartino public hospital in Mogadishu, said the situation has worsened dramatically. “In 2024 we treated around 49 patients, but in just the last four months of 2025 we’ve admitted 497,” he explained. Deaths have also climbed from 13 last year to 42 so far this year, with his hospital describing the outbreak as “one of the most urgent threats to public health.”
Nationwide Data Shows Grim Picture
Somalia’s health ministry confirmed earlier this month that it had logged 1,616 cases and 87 deaths in 2025 alone. Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) linked the surge to patchy immunisation, hesitancy around vaccines, and poor living conditions.
Shortages of Life-Saving Supplies
MSF medical coordinator in Somalia, Frida Athanassiadis, warned that medical centres lack the resources to meet the growing demand. Initial emergency supplies of diphtheria antitoxin have already run out, forcing the health ministry and the World Health Organization to ration limited stock.
Other Diseases Also Rising
Save the Children reported in July that cases of measles, whooping cough, diphtheria, cholera, and severe respiratory infections doubled in just three months—from 22,600 to more than 46,000. Around 60% of those affected were children under five. The charity blamed recent cuts in humanitarian funding, which have weakened routine immunisation campaigns and strained an already fragile health system.
Communities Feeling the Impact
Residents in Mogadishu say the outbreak is hitting families hard. “Many children in my neighbourhood are ill, some are in hospital,” said local resident Abdiwahid Ali. Grocer Anab Hassan shared her concerns: “A friend lost her five-year-old daughter to diphtheria. Others keep telling me their children are coughing and sick. We hear about new cases every day.”
