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Mogadishu | Xinhua

At least 145 people have died from cholera in Somalia since January, with 11 people dying of the illness in the past two weeks alone, the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a report released Monday.

A total of 15,938 cholera cases have been reported in Somalia since January as cases spread after recent prolonged rainfall and flash floods, according to the report.

The current outbreak, which started in January, is understood to be the result of the large-scale flooding that took place in October and November 2023, according to health authorities.

The report also attributed the rising cholera outbreak in Somalia to a growing number of people who lack access to safe water and proper sanitation.

"Access to healthcare continues to be a challenge with inadequate functional health facilities, which among other health risks, heightens the risk of maternal and infant mortality and increases rates of preventable diseases like cholera," the report said.

According to the report, cholera cases have drastically reduced in some districts in June, especially in South West State, while some cases have been recorded in some districts in Hirshabelle State.

Somalia has had uninterrupted acute watery diarrhoea/cholera transmission since 2022 and in the Banadir region since the drought of 2017, according to the WHO.

In 2023, more than 18,304 cumulative cases and 46 deaths were reported in Somalia.