Health Update
With the end of the kiremt (June to October) rains, the number of new cases of Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) reported is decreasing. Over the past two weeks, 66 cases have been reported, according to the Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI), including 27 cases (none fatal) between 27 and 3 October in Amhara (Jiletumuga woreda, Oromia zone), Oromia (Gorodolla and Shakiso woredas, Guji zone) and SNNPR (Dilla Zuria and Yirgachefe woredas, Gedeo zone; Dera woreda, Sidama zone; and Dilla town). The corrected case figure for the week of 20 to 26 September is 39 cases reported from Dire Dawa, Oromia and SNNPR.
Meanwhile, there have been no reports of AWD cases associated with the Gishen Mariam religious ceremony, which was celebrated in Amhara on 1 October. Ahead of the celebration, a committee including the regional and zonal health bureaus, WHO, UNICEF, OCHA, Oxfam and Save the Children UK provided technical and financial support in AWD outbreak prevention and contro,l and other health emergency response in, Amabsel (Gishen Mariam), Dessie, Tehulledere, Kutaber (Teleyaye) and Kombolcha woredas. In addition, WHO and UNICEF conducted an AWD outbreak investigation assessment in Oromia zone (Amhara), concluding that preventive and control measures have been put in place and case management has been good. A committee has been established to study the cross border implications and other causes of the disease in the surrounding areas. EHNRI provided drugs, medical supplies and technical support to the Dire Dawa city administration, and UNICEF supported the training of 34 case treatment center (CTC) staff on surveillance, case management, CTC establishment and management in the Administration. CARE distributed 312,480 sachets of PUR to 5,208 households in Kurfa Chele woreda (East Hararghe zone, Oromia) and IRC provided 1,600 bottles of water guard in Gedeo zone (SNNPR) sufficient for an equivalent number of families for one month. The Ethiopian Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, with funding from WHO, is supporting the implementation of AWD prevention activities in Guji zone (Oromia) and Gedeo zone (SNNPR).
A large number of new measles cases was reported again in the past week, with 823 cases (six deaths) in Oromia (38 cases), SNNP (779 cases and six deaths) and Addis Ababa (six cases) between 27 September and 3 October. Affected woredas include Agarfa, Dawa Sara, Ginir and Goro (Oromia) and Aroresa, Bensa, Male, Benatsemay, South Ari and North Ari (SNNPR) and Addis Ababa. WHO supported a training of trainers on measles supplementary immunization activities (SIAs) for zonal supervisors as part of the pre-vaccination campaign preparation. The vaccination campaign is scheduled from 22 to 25 October in SNNPR. For more information, contact: who-wro@et.afro.who.int& kmcdonald@unicef.org