Horn of Africa
29 July 2008--Food security in the region is rapidly deteriorating. The ongoing drought, compounded by the soaring food and fuel prices, general poverty and intermittent conflict in some areas, is having a serious impact on food security, water availability and nutrition.
Malnutrition is rising and people are forced to resort to extreme coping mechanisms.
- In Djibouti, at least 80 000 people are reported in an acute crisis. Global acute malnutrition for children under five is 17%, reaching 25% in parts of the north-west region.
- Eritrea is also suffering from rain failure and scarcity of water. The drought and the increase in global food price are likely to affect a significant percentage of the population. In Southern Red Sea, cases of bloody diarrhoea have risen above the alert threshold.
- In Ethiopia, 4.6 million people are in need of emergency food assistance, including 75 000 children aged under five requiring therapeutic and supplementary nutrition support.
- In Kenya, 1.2 million people are in need of emergency assistance, including more than 68 600 IDPs remaining in camps following the post-electoral violence. The cholera outbreak continues in Nyanza Province with 1950 suspected cases and 81 related deaths registered by 21 July.
- In Somalia, the number of people in need of assistance has increased by 40% since January to 2.6 million people, or 35% of the population. About 180 000 children are acutely malnourished, of which less than a third have access to care. Global acute malnutrition is reported between 18.4% and 24%.
- In the Sudan’s Darfur region, the withdrawal of UN and NGO staff is dramatically reducing the capacity to deliver essential health services. No outbreaks have been confirmed to date but there is an increase in cases of hepatitis E and bloody diarrhoea.
People's health are also affected by weak health systems, shortages of drugs and supplies and insufficient human resources.
During the coming months, rains are expected to again cause large-scale flooding as well as increasing loss of crops and risk of outbreaks of diarrhoeal diseases, measles and meningitis.
WHO's response efforts concentrate on:
- strengthening disease and nutritional surveillance;
- conducting immunization activities and vitamin A supplementation;
- promoting water treatment, hygiene and sanitation interventions to stop the spread of acute watery diarrhoea and other communicable diseases;
- providing urgently needed drugs and medical supplies to support health services and therapeutic feeding programmes and,
- supporting health staff and strengthening systems to address health needs.
Situation reports
Weekly Regional situation update
22 September 2008
English [pdf 152kb]
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French [pdf 152kb]
Eastern Africa Preparedness and Response to Drought and Impact of Soaring Food Prices
Summary Report presented to the Regional Humanitarian Partnership Team and Donors in Nairobi on 20 June 2008 – Updated 3 July. Coordinated by OCHA Regional Office for Central and Eastern Africa.
Full report [pdf 301kb]
Estimated food security conditions, 2nd Quarter 2008
See map
Drought continues in much of the Horn
The USAID FEWS NET Weather Hazards Impacts Assessment for Africa 26 June - 2 July 2008.
Full report [pdf 242kb]
The 2006 Crisis
Nutrition Information in Crisis Situations
UN Standing Committee on Nutrition web site
2006 Drought Crisis Bulletin
December 2006 - January 2007 [pdf 304kb]
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Archives
Flooding emergency in the Horn of Africa: major health risks
8 December 2006
Press release
Health and epidemics in the Horn of Africa Region
Scenario Development Workshop, 22-24 November 2006
Complete presentation [pdf 477kb]
More information on the Horn of Africa crisis
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WHO and the health impacts of the global food security crisis
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Web site of the Regional Office for Africa
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Web site of the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean
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Communicable disease risk assessment and interventions [pdf 300kb]
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