Donors Making a Difference in the Greater Horn of Africa Health Crisis

12 July 2022

Cornered by drought, families are leaving their homes by the thousands in search of food, water and pasture. Above: women at a camp for internally displaced people near the town of Gode, Ethiopia. ©UNICEF/Pouget

WHO’s donors are supporting efforts to strengthen health systems in the greater Horn of Africa amid a humanitarian crisis brought on by drought, flooding, armed conflicts, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 22 June, WHO allocated more than US$16 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE) to the unfolding health emergency in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda, where an estimated 80 million people face hunger. It is the CFE’s largest allocation to date.

“Many people are already starving or food insecure and are increasingly on the move in search of food and pastures,” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “I am deeply concerned about the impact this will have not only on health but on overall national and regional security.”

Along with countering the consequences of malnutrition, WHO is helping countries to prepare for outbreaks of cholera, measles, malaria and other diseases. The Organization is setting up a hub in Nairobi, which will focus on building emergency health force capacity and preparedness.

WHO is scaling up its operations in eastern Africa as the region faces acute food insecurity caused by conflict, extreme weather events – including the worst drought in 40 years – induced by climate change, rising international food and fuel prices and the impact of the pandemic.

Over 80 million people in the eastern African region are food insecure and resorting to desperate measures to feed themselves and their families. Acute malnutrition is high, especially among children.

As malnutrition increases, the health needs in the region are mounting, especially among children, and clean water is becoming scarce. As people leave their homes in search of food, they can no longer access health services, and become more at risk from disease outbreaks.

“The cost of inaction is high,” said Dr Ibrahima Socé Fall, WHO Assistant Director-General for Emergency Response. “While the clear priority is to prevent people from starving, we must simultaneously strengthen our health response to prevent disease and save lives. Even one life lost from a vaccine-preventable disease, diarrhoea, or medical complications from malnutrition in today’s world is one life too many.”

WHO is collaborating with partners, including Somalia’s health ministry, to visit around 300 000 households every month in drought-affected districts to identify and help sick children. Health workers are watchful for measles, pneumonia, diarrhoea, cholera and malaria. They also screen children for signs of acute malnutrition and provide vaccinations.

During the first five months of this year, well over 9000 suspected cases of measles were reported in the country, the vast majority among children under five years old.

With at least 100 health emergencies per year in Africa – from disease outbreaks to natural and manmade disasters – health emergency partners are rallying to reform the continent’s crisis response architecture.

At the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly in May, Member States and health emergency partners called for more investment in health infrastructure, along with a dedicated global emergency health workforce, and equitable access to vaccines, medical oxygen and other essential drugs.

“Africa experiences more outbreaks and health emergencies than any other continent in the world, many of which are preventable or controllable with proven public health interventions,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

WHO arranged for the repair of two broken boreholes in May, returning water service to two camps that are home to about 20 000 internally displaced people.

“These are all not just numbers, but human lives, and future generations of Somalia suffering from drought and the related impact of it – physical, mental, emotional or psychological,” said Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.

WHO has helped install solar-powered medical oxygen systems that are saving lives in three Somali cities and is working with partners, including donors, toward expanding the lifesaving innovation to more areas.

“We must act now to support more health facilities to access power through solar energy,” said WHO Sustainable Energy Advisor Salvatore Vinci. “Somalia makes the best case for investment in solar energy in health centres, with hours of sunshine, limited and expensive electricity, as well as hospitals without reliable power."

The first hospital to receive a solar-powered medical oxygen system, in Dhushamareb, showed a 96 percent survival rate among children admitted with medical conditions that required immediate oxygen therapy.

For months, Lilian Hilary had wanted to be vaccinated for COVID-19. She finally got her wish when health workers arrived at the Mangalla settlement for internally displaced people where she lives with her two children.

“Today I am very happy that the services have been brought closer to our homes for women who cannot leave their children alone to also benefit from vaccines,” she said, speaking recently during African Vaccination Week.

Ms Hilary is one of many people to be vaccinated for COVID-19 through a special project designed to reach the most vulnerable people in 15 African countries. WHO and partners are carrying out the project with the support of ECHO, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.

To ensure maximum coverage, WHO staff in South Sudan will continue with the vaccine outreach.

WHO thanks all governments, organizations and individuals who are contributing to the Organization’s work, and in particular those who have provided fully flexible contributions to maintain a strong, independent WHO.

Donors and partners featured in this week’s stories include Canada, CERF, China, Estonia, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), France, Georgia, Germany, Kuwait, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, OCHA, Philippines, Portugal, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.