ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopia has recorded some 59 deaths this year as of February due to ongoing malaria and cholera outbreaks in different parts of the country, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The East African country recorded a total of 909,146 malaria cases and 34 deaths, as cases were reported in 1,173 districts across the country, the WHO said in an Ethiopia Health Cluster Bulletin report for February released on Monday.

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Ethiopia has also reported a total of 857 cholera cases and 25 deaths in the regions of Gambella and Amhara during the same period, with a case fatality rate of 2.92 percent, the report said. The cholera outbreak remains active across 16 districts in the two affected regions.

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The report highlighted challenges affecting the cholera response, including a lack of water, sanitation, and hygiene supplies for both treatment facilities and the general population in affected districts, hindering effective disease control.

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Noting that conflict in parts of Ethiopia continues to have a negative impact on the public health situation in the country, it said hundreds of thousands of people in need of immediate assistance are trapped in hard-to-reach areas. It further highlighted that recent earthquakes in parts of the country have triggered a significant health response.

As Ethiopia battles an ongoing cholera outbreak that began in August 2022, the country has vaccinated more than 10 million people as part of a national oral cholera vaccination campaign to contain the spread of the outbreak, according to the WHO.