Somalia has been hit by a surge in diphtheria. Health officials say more than 1,600 cases and 87 deaths so far this year. In all of 2024 there were 838 cases, 56 deaths.
The National Institute of Health confirmed the numbers. Director Hussein Abdukar Muhidin said shortages of vaccines and shrinking aid are to blame. The illness mainly strikes children. It causes fever, swollen glands, and in severe cases, blocks breathing.
Health Minister Ali Haji Adam pointed to U.S. aid cuts. Washington had long been Somalia’s top donor. Funding dropped to $149 million this year, down from $765 million last year. President Donald Trump cut most foreign aid programs earlier in the year.
“The U.S. aid cut affected the health funds… many centres closed. Mobile vaccination teams lost funding and now do not work,” Adam said.
Families displaced by conflict have been hit hardest. In Mogadishu, Deka Mohamed Ali lost her eight-year-old son to diphtheria. Three of her other children also fell sick. A daughter recovered. Two toddlers are still in treatment. “My children got sick and I just stayed at home because I did not know it was diphtheria,” she said.
Aid groups say the problem is wider. Save the Children reported clinic closures have fueled spikes in diphtheria, measles, cholera, whooping cough, and severe respiratory infections. Other donors — Britain, France, Germany — have also cut back.
Somalia’s own budget for health is shrinking too. It fell to 4.8 percent last year, from 8.5 percent in 2023. Amnesty International and doctors criticized the drop.
Vaccines work, but coverage is low. The health ministry promises a new drive. No date yet. The U.S. State Department said it still provides “lifesaving” help, and urged others to step up.
