Diphtheria cases are rising quickly in Somalia, with children making up more than 97 percent of those infected, officials and aid groups warn.

Diphtheria is a highly contagious and dangerous bacterial disease that causes symptoms like swollen glands, breathing problems, fever, and can be deadly, especially for children. The disease can be prevented with a vaccine, which has been widely available since the mid-1900s.

So far, Somalia has recorded more than 1,600 cases and 87 deaths, compared to 838 cases and 56 deaths in all of 2024, according to Hussein Abdukar Muhidin, director of Somalia's National Institute of Health, Reuters notes.

Although vaccination rates in Somalia have improved in recent years, many children are still not fully protected. The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) blames gaps in immunization for the increase in cases.

Health Minister Ali Haji Adam stated that the government is struggling to get enough vaccines due to a global shortage, and U.S. aid cuts have further made it harder to distribute the limited supply.

"The U.S. aid cut terribly affected the health funds it used to provide to Somalia. Many health centers closed. Mobile vaccination teams that took vaccines to remote areas lost funding and now do not work," said Adam, as per Reuters.

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