Briefing journalists at UN Headquarters in New York on Friday, Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that humanitarians were providing medical supplies, logistics support and boosting communications efforts in response to a cholera outbreak in Oromia, Sidama, and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region, as well as Somali regions. Cholera and malaria response“According to national authorities, more than 16,800 cases of cholera have been reported, including 212 related deaths, as of 2 August”, he said. Timely measures“Our humanitarian colleagues noted that timely food assistance, prepositioning of emergency drugs, and medical supplies for impacted people are necessary”, the UN Spokesperson said. “More than 1.2 million children suffer from severe acute malnutrition across Ethiopia.”He reminded that the $4 billion humanitarian appeal for 2023 for Ethiopia, is only 27 per cent funded. According to news reports, the agency has now begun to distribute some food supplies to a limited number of districts in the Tigray region, to test new enhanced controls and measures for delivering food assistance.

Source: Ethiopian News August 18, 2023 20:42 UTC