Addis Abeba — Amid reports of a cholera outbreak in the Bati district within the Oromia special zone of the Amhara region, health authorities are swiftly responding to contain the spread of the disease.
Belay Bezabhi, Director General of the Amhara Public Health Institute, addressed the situation in a recent briefing, emphasizing concerted efforts to curb the outbreak and minimize its impact by coordinating with stakeholders.
Belay noted that it has been nearly two years since Ethiopia last faced a cholera outbreak, with the previous incident occurring in the West Gondar Zone in July 2023.
Media reports indicate that the outbreak claimed the lives of over 70 individuals in the Amhara region during the last fiscal year, with approximately 3,800 people infected.
As of 04 April, 2016, 162 cholera patients had been hospitalized in Bati town and Bati district, according to Bezabhi.
"Efforts are underway to prevent the further spread of the disease to internally displaced persons (IDP) camps nearby," he said. "A dedicated team comprising experts and officials from the Regional Health Office, the Institute, and the Zonal Health Department has been deployed to the affected area to contain the outbreak."
Recent data released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reveals alarming figures, with over 29,800 cholera cases and more than 400 deaths reported across ten regions of Ethiopia between January 2023 and January 2024. The highest numbers were reported in the Amhara, Oromia, and Somali regions.
The current cholera outbreak in Ethiopia has been declared in the context of a complex humanitarian crisis, including natural hazards such as droughts and flooding affecting almost all regions.
Conflict between government forces and armed groups has worsened the situation by deteriorating the health infrastructure of the country.
Last month, the Amhara Health Bureau reported substantial damage to the region's health infrastructure, a consequence of the escalating conflict between government security forces and the non-state militia, Fano.
