#ASDailyScoop: Tigray sees eight fold increase in pervasiveness of scabies: UN
Addis Abeba: The latest Humanitarian update from the UNOCHA revealed “the pervasiveness of scabies continues to be a major concern in Tigray, with cases increasing eight-fold [from] 384 cases identified at the start of the year to more than 3,100 identified cases during the reporting week.”
Most cases are recorded among internally displaced people (IDPs) at displacement sites. Despite ongoing efforts to respond to the increased scabies cases, the situation remains challenging, hindered by compounding issues such as overcrowding and poor living conditions, and lack of effective medications. So far, health partners have been responding to the situation mostly at IDP sites in Mekelle, Adwa and Shire, through awareness raising campaigns. Partners used expired Permetrin ointment as a remedy alongside other inefficient treatments as no alternative drug supplies are available. While sufficient healthcare response is essential to end the outbreak, scaling up of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), healthcare services and improved living conditions at IDP sites, as well as strengthening medication delivery to Tigray are key to contain this issue in a more durable manner.
In Afar – Humanitarian partners reached more than 62,000 people with food assistance in Afar and more than 7,700 people with medical consultations during the reporting week. Needs assessment visit conducted in Afdera and Silsa Guyha IDP sites, where there are currently six sites managed by humanitarian partners in the two woredas, with a total of more than 34,000 people. While limited shelters and non-food items (NFIs) provided to the IDPs, a huge gap persist with provision of food, shelter, drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services, education service, primary health care, and NFIs, including dignity kits for women and girls, are urgently required.
In Amhara – Humanitarian partners reached more than 726,000 people with food assistance in Amhara during the reporting period. However, the situation along areas bordering Tigray, namely in Wag Hamra, North Wello and North Gondar zones, remains volatile. Several locations remain hard to reach for partners’ operations, including Abergele, Tsagibji kebeles as well as well as some parts of Zequala kebeles in Wag Hamra Zone, large parts of Kobo in North Wello Zone, and in Addi Arekay in North Gondar Zone.
