Malaria, cholera outbreaks kill 59 people in Ethiopia: WHO

Addis Ababa: Ethiopia has recorded some 59 deaths this year as of February due to ongoing malaria and cholera outbreaks in different parts of the country, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The East African country recorded a total of 909,146 malaria cases and 34 deaths, as cases were reported in 1,173 districts across the country, the WHO said in an Ethiopia Health Cluster Bulletin report for February released on Monday.

Ethiopia has also reported a total of 857 cholera cases and 25 deaths in the regions of Gambella and Amhara during the same period, with a case fatality rate of 2.92 per cent, the report said, Xinhua news agency reported. The cholera outbreak remains active across 16 districts in the two affected regions.

The report highlighted challenges affecting the cholera response, including a lack of water, sanitation, and hygiene supplies for both treatment facilities and the general population in affected districts, hindering effective disease control.

Noting that conflict in parts of Ethiopia continues to have a negative impact on the public health situation in the country, it said hundreds of thousands of people in need of immediate assistance are trapped in hard-to-reach areas. It further highlighted that recent earthquakes in parts of the country have triggered a significant health response.

As Ethiopia battles an ongoing cholera outbreak that began in August 2022, the country has vaccinated more than 10 million people as part of a national oral cholera vaccination campaign to contain the spread of the outbreak, according to the WHO.

More than 178,000 cases of cholera have been confirmed in 16 countries in eastern and southern Africa from January 2024 to March 2025, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Monday.

The startling number, worsened by limited access to water, sanitation, hygiene and health services, has resulted in about 2,900 deaths, many of which are children, UNICEF said.

"We need the continued commitment of governments, the private sector, and individuals who believe that every child deserves a future," UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa Etleva Kadilli said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

According to UNICEF, South Sudan and Angola have faced the most severe cholera outbreaks, with children under 15 years of age comprising 50 percent of cases in South Sudan and 40 percent in Angola.

UNICEF said more than 40,000 cases were reported in South Sudan from September 28, 2024, to March 18, 2025, including 694 deaths countrywide, its worst outbreak in 20 years.

Angola, it said, reported over 7,500 cases and 294 deaths across 14 provinces from January 7 to March 18, with high risks for further escalation.