Key Issues
Suspected yellow fever cases turned out negative
Additional funding required to meet ES/NFI kits requirements
Health Bureau and partners responding to acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) in Addis Ababa
Livelihood diversification projects enhancing recovery to El Niño-affected communities
Ethiopia is responding to an El Niño-caused drought emergency: The El Niño global climatic event wreaked havoc on Ethiopia’s 2015 spring and summer rains driving food insecurity, malnutrition and water shortages in affected areas of the country. A wellcoordinated response is underway, although the scale of the emergency exceeds resources available. Given the lead times necessary for the procurement of relief items, the Government and its international partners urge immediate and sustained support for this slow onset natural disaster.
Suspected yellow fever cases turned out negative
The Ethiopian Public Health Institue (EPHI) and World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that laboratory results of samples taken from 22 suspected yellow fever cases in South Omo zone, SNNP region, turned out negative. This confirms that there is currently no yellow fever outbreak in the country.
Additional funding required to meet ES/NFI requirements
Between January and May 2016, some 84,287 households were affected by natural and man-made hazards, and are in need of emergency shelter and non-food item (ES/NFI) support. As at end May, the ES/NFI Cluster reached 21 per cent of the caseload with 17,991 ES/NFI kits. At present, 30,000 ES/NFI kits, donated by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), have arrived in Adama warehouse. Last week, WFP logistics and NDRMC began kit assembly to ready shipment to regional hubs. In the next quarter, the cluster is projected to have 68,000 households’ worth of supplies in 2016. Of these, the ES/NFI Cluster will distribute 12,600 kits to flood-affected households in Somali region, while NDRMC and partners will distribute the remaining kits to other flood-affected regions. Additional funding is required for the transport, kitting and distribution of these kits. A further 75,000 ES/NFI kits are required to address projected needs for the rest of the year. Save the Children Fund took an assignment of 9,000 household kits for distribution in Gode area.
Meanwhile the Logistics Cluster erected five additional mobile storage units (MSUs) for NDRMC and CRS/JEOP partners, in Oromia and Gambella regions. This brings the total number of MSUs set-up by the Logistics Cluster and the World Food Programme to 22. The cluster has conducted site and road assessments in Semera (Afar) and in Oromia region. The cluster is also developing a concept note to support the design and implementation of locally designed warehouses that can be implemented as an alternative to MSUs where feasible.
Health Bureau and partners responding to acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) in Addis Ababa
Since the Federal Ministry of Health confirmed the first two AWD cases on 9 June, the number of confirmed cases are increasing. The Ethiopian Public Health Institute reported about 2,145 (nationally) and 25 (in Addis Ababa) suspected AWD cases as of 12 June 2016. The Addis Ababa Health Bureau and partners launched an AWD response plan to curb the spread of the outbreak.
The Government, UN agencies and NGOs set up rapid response teams to work on surveillance, advocacy and communication, and sanitation and hygiene. The teams will work closely with the Regional Health Bureau and help to enhance staff capacity in 14 CTCs established in each sub-city in Addis Ababa.
Livelihood diversification projects enhancing recovery to El Niño-affected communities
While the impact of the El Niño-induced drought crisis is continuing in largely livestock-dependent communities in Afar region, alternative livelihood projects introduced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in animal feed production, dairy processing centres and date-palm production are enhancing households’ capacity to withstand shocks. For many pastoralists in the northeastern region, recovery may require an estimated two to four years depending on whether they are small livestock or cattle-owning.