# The diphtheria outbreak in Somalia, 2023 to 2025

> The diphtheria outbreak in Somalia from 2023 to 2025: cases and deaths by region, who was affected, vaccine coverage, and the vaccine shortages and aid cuts reported in 2025.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/society/diphtheria-2023-2025/
Last checked: 2026-11-13
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## In short

Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable throat infection. Somalia reported few or no cases to the World Health Organization (WHO) for years: 6 in 2018, none in 2019 and 2020, and 1 in 2023. The count then rose to **838 in 2024** and **3,622 in 2025** ([WHO Global Health Observatory, diphtheria reported cases, Somalia](https://ghoapi.azureedge.net/api/WHS3_41?$filter=SpatialDim%20eq%20%27SOM%27)).

The Red Cross (IFRC) traced the outbreak to "events dating back to January 2023, when [Puntland](/en/states/puntland/) first began experiencing a resurgence of diphtheria" ([ReliefWeb, Somalia: Diphtheria Outbreak – Jul 2025](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/ep-2025-000142-som); IFRC, 18 August 2025).

## Cases reported to WHO

| Year | Cases |
|---|---|
| 1983 | 206 |
| 1984 | 58 |
| 1985 | 19 |
| 1989 | 24 |
| 2012 | 65 |
| 2013 | 7 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 838 |
| 2025 | 3,622 |

Source: WHO Global Health Observatory, indicator WHS3_41, downloaded 13 November 2026. Years not shown were not reported.

## Puntland, mid-2025

- By epidemiological week 27 of 2025 (early July), there were **482 confirmed cases and 27 deaths** in the Puntland regions of [Mudug](/en/regions/mudug/), [Nugaal](/en/regions/nugaal/) and [Bari](/en/regions/bari/) (IFRC, 18 August 2025).
- Schools and camps for displaced people "emerged as major transmission zones due to high population movement, overcrowding, and lack of vaccination coverage" (IFRC).
- 65% of reported cases were unvaccinated and 24% were under five (IFRC).

## The national count, 2025

- **August.** Hussein Abdukar Muhidin, director of the National Institute of Health, gave more than 1,600 cases and 87 deaths for 2025, against 838 cases and 56 deaths in 2024 ([Arab News / Reuters, 19 August 2025](https://www.arabnews.com/node/2612316)).
- **November.** From week 1 to week 46 of 2025, WHO counted **3,129 suspected cases and 132 deaths** (WHO, 30 November 2025, via ReliefWeb).

| Area | Cases | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Banadir | 1,306 | 74 |
| Puntland | 1,136 | 39 |
| South West | 306 | 3 |
| Galmudug | 273 | 8 |

WHO said 61% of cases were over five years old and 73% had no history of vaccination. It called the outbreak "a continuation of the 2023 outbreak, with ongoing transmission in most districts" (WHO, 30 November 2025).

## Vaccines and aid cuts

- **Coverage.** WHO and UNICEF estimate that 72% of one-year-olds had three doses of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine (DTP3) in 2025, up from 33% in 2000 ([WHO GHO, DTP3 coverage](https://ghoapi.azureedge.net/api/WHS4_100?$filter=SpatialDim%20eq%20%27SOM%27)).
- **Shortages.** Health Minister Ali Hajji Adam said the government had trouble buying enough vaccines during a global shortage, and that "mobile vaccination teams that took vaccines to remote areas lost funding and now do not work" (Arab News / Reuters, 19 August 2025).
- **US aid.** US assistance to Somalia was US$149 million in the fiscal year to 30 September 2025, against US$765 million the year before, according to US government figures cited by Reuters. A State Department spokesperson said "The United States continues to provide lifesaving foreign assistance in Somalia" (Arab News / Reuters).

## Related pages

- [Health in Somalia](/en/society/health-in-somalia/)
- [Measles in Somalia](/en/society/measles-in-somalia/)
- [Health numbers, 1990 to 2025](/en/data/health-numbers-1990-2025/)

## Sources

- World Health Organization. Global Health Observatory: [diphtheria reported cases (WHS3_41)](https://ghoapi.azureedge.net/api/WHS3_41?$filter=SpatialDim%20eq%20%27SOM%27) and [DTP3 coverage (WHS4_100)](https://ghoapi.azureedge.net/api/WHS4_100?$filter=SpatialDim%20eq%20%27SOM%27), Somalia.
- ReliefWeb. [Somalia: Diphtheria Outbreak – Jul 2025](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/ep-2025-000142-som) (IFRC, 18 August 2025; WHO, 30 November 2025).
- Arab News / Reuters (2025). [Somalia faces diphtheria surge amid vaccine shortages and aid cuts](https://www.arabnews.com/node/2612316), 19 August 2025.

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