1. Home
  2. East Africa
  3. Ethiopia

Meningitis kills six in Gambella

An outbreak of meningitis has reportedly killed six people in Gambella regional state, western Ethiopia, since early October, the pro-government Walta Information Center (WIC) reported on 11 December. The disease which was originally reported in three districts over the last 10 days is now spreading to other districts, the head of the state's health bureau, Kor Patch said, according to WIC. WIC quotes Kor as saying that in the last few days 17 new cases have been reported.

Most of the patients were being treated at Gambella hospital and vaccination campaigns were underway in schools, prisons and other areas with high concentration of people, Kor told WIC. The state health bureau has requested more vaccines and funds from the Ministry of Health and the Regional State Council to control the spread of the disease, said WIC.


This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join