Somali Health Minister Initiates Door — to-Door Campaign to Tackle Diphtheria Outbreak. Mogadishu, Somalia — 2025-12-21 Lead Paragraph: Somalia’s Minister of Health, Dr. Ali Haji Adam, is spearheading a community-based campaign to combat a diphtheria outbreak in the Benadir Region.
The campaign, which began amidst the ongoing municipal elections, aims to immunize children against the highly contagious disease that has claimed the lives of at least 50 children and affected over 1,000 others.
The door — to-door campaign is a crucial step in curbing the spread of diphtheria, which primarily affects unvaccinated children. Schools across the Benadir Region have joined the initiative by promoting health awareness, identifying unvaccinated students, and supporting vaccination teams.
The campaign follows a targeted outbreak response vaccination campaign that ran from December 15 to December 20, providing life-saving vaccines and public health information to thousands of children.
The Somali government is working in tandem with United Nations agencies such as UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) to enhance surveillance, broaden immunization coverage, and engage the community. Authorities emphasize that timely vaccination is the most effective measure to prevent diphtheria-related deaths and further transmission.
Health officials are urging parents and caregivers to cooperate with vaccination teams to protect children and bring the outbreak under control.
The situation underscores the importance of routine immunization in preventing such diseases. Further details about the vaccination campaign’s progress and the ongoing efforts to contain the outbreak are expected in the coming days.
Source: sonna.
