By Reuters
In a health centre in Baidoa, Somalia, a medic administers immunization drops to a crying baby while the mother comforts her child. The scene reflects a daily reality in a country where vaccination rates remain low and malnutrition is widespread.
Sahro Ali, a mother of two, emphasized the critical importance of vaccination and access to quality medicine for her children.
鈥淲e need the vaccination to be increased, and we also want medicine. Children suffer every problem that arises if they miss vaccination and medicine,鈥 she said. 鈥淚f the immunization is missed, children get malnourished and they die.鈥
At the Bullo-Jadid health centre, supported by USAID and Save the Children, Dr. Maryan Mohamed said the facility receives an average of over 60 people daily, many seeking vaccination.
鈥淭hose who are vaccinated come from the camps and remote areas,鈥 Mohamed said. 鈥淚f vaccination runs short, we fear diseases will increase and spread. The diseases include whooping cough and polio. If they are not immunized, the diseases will spread.鈥
However, aid cuts are worsening the crisis. CEO of Save the Children UK, Moazzam Malik, said the needs in Somalia are enormous, with many communities vulnerable following years of drought and loss of livelihoods and livestock.
鈥淎t the same time that they face desperate needs with drought and climate change impacts, they are suffering the impact of aid cuts,鈥 Malik said.
Qadro Hassan Abdullah came to the clinic seeking nutrition biscuits for her malnourished child. After a healthcare worker tested her child and confirmed malnutrition, Abdullah received high-nutrition cream to feed her child.
As aid funding decreases, health experts warn that disease outbreaks and malnutrition rates could surge, putting thousands of children鈥檚 lives at risk.