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Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-...id-19-spreading-silently-somalias-vast-camps/
Fears that Covid-19 is spreading silently in Somalia’s vast camps
One study found that Somalia was the most under-equipped country on earth to cope with the pandemic
By Will Brown 18 June 2020 • 5:14pm
The pandemic could be spreading undetected into Somalia’s vast camps, which house a fifth of its citizens, humanitarians have warned.
After decades of conflict, natural disasters and jihadist attacks, 2.6 million of Somalia's 15 million people now live in some 2,000 camps spread across the country.
Catastrophic flash floods over the last few months have displaced almost 500,000 more people in the centre of the country, according to the United Nations. At the same time, billions of locusts have swarmed over rural areas, devouring already meagre food supplies.
Thousands are now moving into overcrowded camps with few facilities, where regular hand washing is difficult and social distancing almost impossible.
Ana Maria Guzman, from the International Committee of the Red Cross, said that the surge of people fleeing into urban areas and internally displaced people (IDP) camps was creating “the perfect environment for infectious disease.”...
Fears that Covid-19 is spreading silently in Somalia’s vast camps
One study found that Somalia was the most under-equipped country on earth to cope with the pandemic
By Will Brown 18 June 2020 • 5:14pm
The pandemic could be spreading undetected into Somalia’s vast camps, which house a fifth of its citizens, humanitarians have warned.
After decades of conflict, natural disasters and jihadist attacks, 2.6 million of Somalia's 15 million people now live in some 2,000 camps spread across the country.
Catastrophic flash floods over the last few months have displaced almost 500,000 more people in the centre of the country, according to the United Nations. At the same time, billions of locusts have swarmed over rural areas, devouring already meagre food supplies.
Thousands are now moving into overcrowded camps with few facilities, where regular hand washing is difficult and social distancing almost impossible.
Ana Maria Guzman, from the International Committee of the Red Cross, said that the surge of people fleeing into urban areas and internally displaced people (IDP) camps was creating “the perfect environment for infectious disease.”...