23 April 2020 – In Somalia's COVID-19 response, being ahead of the curve is the only way to stop transmission and limit spread of the virus in the community. Enhancing active surveillance and expanding its geographic coverage to include both the private and public sector using a syndromic-based approach is the best way to detect cases early. In...

23 April 2020 – The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to rise in Somalia, including associated deaths attributed to coronavirus disease. While the number of cases increase, there is increasing demand on the health system for patient care. When health systems are strained and overwhelmed, especially in fragile and vulnerable settings...

In the absence of testing facilities for COVID-19, the WHO staff are involved in safe packaging and transportation of samples collected across the country to the testing laboratory at KEMRI. So far, over 50 samples from the suspected cases have been collected and tested at the refence laboratory for COVID-19The WHO country office is supporting...

8 December 2019 – The first phase of a nationwide integrated polio and measles vaccination campaign has concluded in Somalia having achieved high coverage. WHO in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and UNICEF launched the first phase of the campaign from 24 to 28 November 2019, targeting more than 1.7 million children under the age...

MOGADISHU, 24 November 2019 - Health authorities launched today a campaign to vaccinate 1.7 million children against measles and polio in Benaadir, Galguduud, Hirshabelle, Jubaland and South West State, Somalia. The 5-day campaign, running from 24 to 28 November, will target children under the age of 5 with polio vaccines and children aged 6 to 59...

18 November 2019 – Recent flooding has plunged Somalia further into a deep humanitarian crisis. Heavy rains in Somalia and Ethiopian highlands led to increased water levels in the rivers Shbelle and Juba, which has affected an estimated 539 888 people and lead to the displacement of over 370 000 people, leaving 25 dead and 47 injured. According to the...

Mogadishu, 16 September 2019 – Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Somalia experienced a significant milestone yesterday when WHO and the Federal Government of Somalia launched the roadmap to UHC for Somali people in a formal ceremony held at the Somali state house today. The UHC roadmap portrays the strategic framework and medium-term goals for the...

Polio teams roll out targeted polio campaign to halt ongoing outbreak A vaccinator marks door of a home to show that the children in the house were vaccinated. Photo: WHO SomaliaMogadishu, 25 June 2019 - Health authorities rolled out a polio campaign yesterday in Puntland and Somaliland to vaccinate more than 940 000 children under 5 years of...

Mogadishu, 22 June 2019 – Somalia has just launched one of Africa’s largest immunization campaigns using oral cholera vaccines (OCV). The campaign, which runs from 22 to 28 June 2019 in high-risk areas of Somalia, will vaccinate more than 650 000 people aged one year and above to eliminate the risk of the disease among vulnerable populations and to...

A woman receives oral cholera vaccination in Kahda district, Banadir region, Mogadishu. Photo: Maryan Abdi Sheikh23 June 2019 – Combating cholera is a challenge for Somalia. Due to protracted crisis destroying the water and sanitation infrastructure and dilapidated health systems, coupled with regular flooding, several states are recurrently...