Comoros

Allocation	$999,950
Emergency type	Cholera
Window	Rapid Response
Recipient UN Agencies	UNICEF, WHO
Group of people targeted	Other affected persons
Number of people targeted	74,529
Status	Under Implementation
Allocation code	24-RR-COM-64823
Title	Comoros RR Application May 2024 (Cholera)

Overview of the humanitarian situation

On 2 February 2024, the Government of Comoros declared a cholera outbreak. As of April 24, there have been 2,584 reported cases and 61 deaths, resulting in a national case fatality rate of 2.4%. The 15-19 year age group is the most affected, accounting for 15% of the cases. The outbreak has hit all 17 health districts, with the island of Anjouan (Ndzouani) emerging as the primary hotspot. The rapid spread across the islands can be attributed to several factors including a general denial of the epidemic, insufficient water and sanitation facilities, especially among poorer populations, and a lack of adequate healthcare facilities. These factors are compounded by the ease of travel across the small islands of the Comoros. The current cholera attack rate stands at 309 per 100,000 people. Case fatality rates vary by island, with Ngazidja at 3.3%, Ndzuwani at 2.3%, and Mwali at 1.3%. 70% of the deaths have occurred in the community, indicating a reluctance to seek timely medical care. Recent Eid celebrations have further accelerated the spread, with Anjouan now reporting over 100 cases daily. Given the ongoing increase in cases, the entire population is considered at high risk. In addition, this outbreak also has a regional component. As several nearby countries are also struggling with cholera outbreaks, there is a risk of transmission to the Comoros. At the same time, transmission from the Comoros to other countries increases the risk of the outbreak spreading further. Indeed, there has already one case having been exported from Comoros to Mayotte, and Madagascar, with its close proximity, remains at high risk.

CERF-funded assistance

This $1 million CERF allocation aims to provide life-saving assistance to 74,529 people affected by the cholera outbreak in Comoros. The response plan spans the Health and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene sectors. Specific interventions include deploying Rapid Community Investigation Teams, distributing WASH and cholera kits, decontaminating households in high-risk areas, setting up chlorination points, strengthening community surveillance networks, enhancing risk communication, door-to-door hygiene promotion, acquiring and delivering medical supplies, strengthening incident management systems, providing technical and financial support for hospital hygiene and patient safety, supervising staff at Cholera Treatment Centers and Oral Rehydration Points, ensuring security of waste management facilities, and transporting patients as well as regional and district-level supervision teams.

Projects included in this allocation

Organization	Project title	Code	Amount in US$
WHO	Réponse décentralisée à l’épidémie de choléra pour la réduction rapide de la mortalité et morbidité et l’arrêt de la propagation de la maladie aux Comores.	24-RR-WHO-016	US$500,000	Read more
UNICEF	Surveillance, investigation et riposte au choléra centrée autour des cas de choléra en Union des Comores	24-RR-CEF-029	US$499,950	Read more