The effects of long running conflicts have resulted fragment of the public health system and the infrastructure that enables governments to actively perform surveillance of the diseases
Shukri Ahmed and Shukri Abdi who are both front line female journalists and member of Somali Media Women Association, have talked about how the outbreak is particularly devastating for the vulnerable Internal Displaced People (IDPs) and their journey about their the battle against the Coronavirus in Southwest state of Somalia.
Shukri Abdi, a female journalist in Baidoa town, about 250km southwest of Mogadishu, told SOMWA that the internal displaced people in the area is the most hit of the Covid19.
IDPs are especially, vulnerable to the coronavirus, due to” high geographical mobility, instability, living in overcrowded conditions, lack of sanitation and WASH (waters, sanitation and hygiene) facilities, and lack of access to decent healthcare
“Some of the IDPs have not enough soaps, facemask and gloves to protect themselves from the spread of the Coronavirus. They have no access to clean water to drink. social distancing is almost impossible in there, the risk for COVID-19 is high.” Shukri Abdi said.
Shukri stated that some of the IDPs underlined that they did not yet receive any equipment for them to keep themselves safe from the pandemic (COVID-19).
She worried about the situation of the IDP families who live in unspaced plastic-made huts where there is no possible for them to follow the social distance guideline.
“They still interact normally, if one of them get sick, they are being visited by the others and that might increase the risk of spreading of Coronavirus.” She added.
Women and children at the IDP camps are the most vulnerable ones who effected by the Coronavirus.
Some women from IDPs who used to go daily to the nearby villages of Baidoa for a work, complained that they are now being discriminated by the people because of suspicion that they might have Coronavirus.
“They also told me that mostly when some of them contract with the virus do not go to the quarantine places and rather die in their houses.” Ahmed said.
Shukri Abdi, who was also among the team told SOMWA, does interview with the doctors and the nurses operating the region over their efforts to prevent the people from the risk of the coronavirus, which seems to be spreading in southwest state of Somalia.
Abdi states that the callers of her program always worry about, how isolation is important and how it is so difficult for extended families.
Somalia have more 2000 confirmed cases and up to a 100 death but it is believed the number could more than that.
