Issue
Infant, child and maternal mortality rates in Somalia are among the highest in the world. Diarrhoeal disease-related dehydration, respiratory infections and malaria are the main killers of infants and young children, together accounting for more than half of all child deaths. Cholera is endemic in Somalia, with outbreaks occurring annually from December to June. The major underlying causes of diarrhoea are the lack of access to safe water and poor food and domestic hygiene. Though data is lacking, Somalia remains among countries with the highest incidence of tuberculosis in the world. Overcrowded camps and lack of treatment facilities, unsystematic and poor quality drugs and high rates of malnutrition keep tuberculosis as one of the main killer diseases in the country. Diarrhoeal disease-related dehydration, respiratory infections and malaria are the main killers of infants and young children in Somalia, together accounting for more than half of all child deaths. Neonatal tetanus and other birth-related problems contribute significantly to infant mortality, while measles and its complications result in widespread illness and numerous child deaths when outbreaks occur. Susceptibility to measles is compounded by poor nutritional status, and transmission is rapid in crowded living conditions such as congested urban/peri-urban areas and camps for displaced people. Immunization coverage is not yet sufficient to prevent measles outbreaks. Reproductive health is a major problem in Somalia, with a maternal mortality ratio of 1,044 per 100,000 live births placing Somali women among the most high-risk groups in the world. Haemorrhage, prolonged and obstructed labour, infections and eclampsia (toxemia that may occur in late pregnancy) are the major causes of death at childbirth. Anaemia and female genital mutilation (infibulation) have a direct impact on, and aggravate these conditions. Poor antenatal, delivery and postnatal care, with an almost complete lack of emergency obstetric referral care for birth complications, further contribute to these high rates of mortality and disability.
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