Relief agencies tracking Mogadishu cholera outbreak

Following the confirmation of a cholera epidemic in Mogadishu, indicated by the confirmation of five cases three days in a row, the health relief agency Medecins sans frontieres (MSF) on Saturday, 20 January, opened a cholera treatment centre (CTC) at Forlanini Hospital complex in the north of the city. A second CTC established by Action contre la faim (ACF) in southern Mogadishu has had to be suspended due to security considerations, a humanitarian official told IRIN on Wednesday. MSF head of mission for north Mogadishu, Andre Le Sage, told IRIN on Tuesday it was still too early to indicate the scale of the outbreak - local authorities have claimed there were 27 deaths and some 300 cholera cases in Mogadishu in recent weeks, but as yet there are no robust statistics to support that claim - which is an annual occurrence in this cholera-endemic area, but differs each year in its timing and severity. There were 13 patients at the Forlanini clinic as of Monday night but many more could be expected as news that the clinic had opened became widespread, Le Sage said. Meanwhile, MSF has also confirmed its return to Mudug General Hospital, Galkayo, which it was forced to evacuate after an armed robbery late last year.