Cholera outbreak hits East Africa's largest refugee camp

NAIROBI, Kenya

A cholera outbreak has affected 2,786 people in Kenya's Dadaab Refugee camp, home to over 300,000 refugees, most from neighboring Somalia.

At a press conference in Nairobi on Tuesday morning, Doctors without Borders (MSF) warned of a looming health catastrophe in the camp if the situation persists.

Two deaths have so far been recorded with hundreds of others hospitalized.

Hassan Maiyaki, MSF country director in Kenya, said "the gravity of the situation demands urgent attention, particularly in the areas of water, sanitation, and hygiene."

He added that the outbreak is the worst cholera outbreak in five years and the risk of other epidemics breaking out is high.

The outbreak has been attributed to the decrease in crucial water and sanitation activities, exacerbating the risk of disease transmission within the camps.

The Kenya Ministry of Health has confirmed the outbreak and is actively involved in providing vaccinations and conducting health promotion campaigns to combat the spread of cholera in the camps.

Nitya Udayraj, MSF medical coordinator in Kenya said that despite the health promotion activities and vaccination campaigns, "controlling this cholera outbreak remains elusive without the prioritization of resources towards sustained preventive water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions."

“If they are not improved in quality and scale, it is just a matter of time before we see other epidemics erupt in the camps such as Hepatitis E.”

The rapid influx of refugees from drought-ridden Somalia entering Kenya's Dadaab Refugee camp has led to severe overcrowding in the Dadaab refugee camps.

According to reports from humanitarian organizations working in the camps, an alarming number of individuals, accounting for almost half of the camps' population, are deprived of functional latrines.

Consequently, open defecation has become prevalent in and around the camps, posing a significant risk of disease outbreaks.

MSF appealed to the international community, donors, and aid agencies to promptly and urgently respond to the unfolding Cholera crisis in Dadaab, taking swift action to address the dire situation.

Comprising three camps—Dagahaley, Ifo, and Hagadera—the Dadaab Refugee camp currently provides shelter to over 245,000 registered refugees, with many having resided there for more than three decades.

In addition, the camps accommodate over 124,000 unregistered refugees, including 67,000 who sought refuge in 2022.