Diphtheria Crisis Deepens in Somalia as Outbreak Claims Lives of Children Amid Low Vaccination Rates
A deadly diphtheria outbreak is sweeping across Somalia, claiming the lives of young children and overwhelming hospitals already strained by years of conflict and poor funding. In Mogadishu, 1-year-old Salman and his 2-year-old brother Hassan recently died after developing severe breathing difficulties caused by the infection, a tragedy highlighting the human toll of the country’s fragile healthcare system. At Demartino Hospital, nearly 1,000 patients — 80% of them children — have been admitted this year alone, compared to just 49 in 2024.
The resurgence of diphtheria, a vaccine-preventable disease once nearly eradicated, is being driven by displacement, malnutrition, and sharp declines in vaccination coverage following years of drought and conflict. Experts from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, estimate that one in four infected children in low-resource settings could die due to a lack of early diagnosis and treatment. Somalia has reported more than 2,000 cases in 2025 so far, though officials warn that poor surveillance likely masks the true scale of the epidemic.
Mothers like Qurraisha Mukhtar and Amina Hassan, who have lost or are tending to multiple sick children, are among thousands facing impossible choices between seeking treatment and affording basic survival. Hospitals often run short of essential supplies, including the diphtheria antitoxin. As the outbreak spreads through schools and refugee communities, Somalia has become the first country to seek Gavi funding for booster programs — a desperate bid to halt a disease that was once a relic of the past.
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