Children Most Affected
Somalia is facing a sharp increase in diphtheria cases, with children making up more than 97% of infections. The disease, highly contagious and often deadly, can be prevented with vaccines, but gaps in immunisation remain a major obstacle.
Hospitals See Sharp Rise
According to Dr Abdulrazaq Yusuf Ahmed, director of Demartino public hospital in Mogadishu, cases have soared. “In 2024 we treated 49 patients, but in just four months of 2025 we already received 497,” he said. Deaths have also risen, climbing from 13 last year to 42 this year.
Government Data Confirms Spread
The health ministry reported 1,616 cases and 87 deaths so far this year. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned that low vaccination rates, reluctance to vaccinate, and poor living conditions are fueling the crisis, especially in central Somalia.
Treatment Supplies Running Low
MSF medical coordinator Frida Athanassiadis said many health centres lack enough resources to cope with demand. The organisation’s emergency stock of antitoxin has already been used up, forcing the health ministry and World Health Organization to distribute limited doses based on priority.
Other Infections Doubling
Save the Children reported in July that between April and July, measles, diphtheria, cholera, whooping cough and respiratory infections doubled from about 22,600 to more than 46,000 cases. Nearly 60% of those affected were under five. The NGO blamed aid cuts that reduced essential services and routine vaccinations.
Residents Share Fears
In Mogadishu, locals describe widespread illness. “Many children near me are sick, some are in hospital,” said resident Abdiwahid Ali. Grocer Anab Hassan added: “A friend lost her five-year-old daughter to diphtheria, and many others say their children are ill.”
