A growing number of cases of the highly contagious and deadly bacterial disease diphtheria is spreading across Somalia, with children accounting for more than 97% of the cases. The medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) attributes the increase in cases to persistent immunization gaps.
According to Abdulrazaq Yusuf Ahmed, director of Demartino public hospital in Mogadishu, the number of recorded diphtheria cases has skyrocketed from 49 in 2024 to 497 in just four months. Deaths have also risen from 13 to 42, with MSF describing the resurgence as a “major threat to public health”.
MSF’s Somalia medical coordinator Frida Athanassiadis notes that low vaccination coverage, vaccine hesitancy and poor living conditions are driving the spread of the disease. The charity has exhausted its initial emergency stock of antitoxin, but is working with the health ministry and World Health Organization to distribute the limited available stock.
The recent aid cuts have severely impacted the health system’s capacity to deliver essential services, including routine immunization. This has led to a sharp rise in vaccine-preventable diseases, including diphtheria, measles, whooping cough, cholera and severe respiratory infections. Children under five account for about 60% of cases.
Residents in Mogadishu are growing increasingly concerned, with many reporting that children in their neighborhoods are falling ill. The outbreak is seen as a major public health crisis that requires immediate attention and action to prevent further spread.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/19/diphtheria-cases-spiralling-somalia