For other parts of Somalia, regional preparedness plans were presented at a special day-long SACB Cholera Workshop on 10 November. However, because of security concerns and lack of funding, some parts of cholera-prone Bay and Lower Shabelle regions do not have cholera treatment centers run by international aid agencies. The WHO provides intravenous solution and supports on-site training in case management and cholera control, as well as operational research on cholera. It is hoped that local communities and Somali authorities will support these efforts particularly with accurate reporting of numbers of cholera cases and deaths an area riddled with confusion due to mis-reporting by some local authorities and press in the past. Cholera, which is endemic in southern and central Somalia, normally surges from December through May in any given year.
Outbreaks tend to recede with the arrival of Somalia s annual long rainy season.
In both instances, SACB partners responded with technical training and medical materials to support local cholera control and treatment activities, reducing transmission of the disease. On average, over 70 percent of all cholera cases each year are reported from the capital Mogadishu. Already, ACF and MSF are undertaking surveillance across the city. Although the reported number of diarrhoeal cases is on the rise, it is still too early to declare a cholera outbreak in the capital. For other parts of Somalia, regional preparedness plans were presented at a special day-long SACB Cholera Workshop on 10 November.