Somalia is experiencing a sharp increase in diphtheria cases, driven by vaccine shortages and slashed humanitarian aid, according to health officials and aid agencies.
Over 1,600 diphtheria cases, including 87 confirmed deaths, have been reported across Somalia in 2025—nearly double the previous year’s figures. The surge is directly linked to vaccine shortfalls and a steep drop in international assistance, particularly from the United States.
Children are the most severely impacted. At Mogadishu’s main pediatric centre, children make up 97% of all diphtheria cases. In the small central town of Ceeldheere, Deka Mohamed Ali lost her 8-year-old son to the disease, while her two other toddlers remain hospitalised and unvaccinated.
The crisis follows a drastic cut in U.S. funding to Somalia, which dropped from $765 million to just $149 million over the past year. The pullback has forced aid groups to shut down immunisation programs and mobile clinics, especially in hard-to-reach rural areas.
Children at Risk Amid Health System Breakdown
The diphtheria outbreak is just one part of a broader health emergency. Since April, cases of preventable diseases such as measles, cholera, and whooping cough have more than doubled—from 22,600 to over 46,000—according to Save the Children. Around 60% of these patients are children under five.
The country’s ongoing conflict has further disrupted access to healthcare. Many displaced families now live in makeshift camps without clean water, medical access, or basic sanitation—conditions ripe for the spread of infections.
Compounding the crisis, Somalia’s domestic health budget has declined sharply. In 2023, the government allocated 8.5% of its national budget to health, but that figure dropped to 4.8% in 2024, leaving the country more dependent than ever on donor support.
Aid agencies warn that without immediate intervention, the death toll from diphtheria and other preventable diseases will continue to climb. Some NGOs have been forced to halt nutritional and medical services altogether, putting tens of thousands of children at further risk.
Somalia’s Ministry of Health has announced plans to launch a nationwide vaccination campaign, but no clear timeline or logistics plan has been released. Meanwhile, frontline doctors say they are overwhelmed and under-equipped.
The worsening health crisis in Somalia has drawn concern from global health bodies. Many see it as a case study in how political instability, resource scarcity, and donor fatigue can quickly collapse fragile health systems.
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