Ethiopia announces an outbreak of malaria, 36 deaths were reported in Oromia state

Ethiopia has declared an outbreak of malaria in the Oromia state, with health officials reporting yesterday Saturday that about 36 people have died in the past two months in the districts of Begi and Kondala in the disputed area of Wollega West. Lata Banti, head of the health center of Begi district, has confirmed the deaths of 36 people as the infection of parasites spread by mosquitoes continues, and has called for emergency medical equipment to save lives. 

Jawar Qasim, the head of the Oromia Health Department has said that the disease has been affecting people in 16 regions of Oromia, and there is an increase of 168% this year compared to last year. Faayo Abdii, the local health officer in the region, told journalists that there is a shortage of medicine and oxygen as the disease has spread in many areas of the conflict-affected districts of Begi and Kondala in the state of Oromia region, where many deaths have been reported.

The outbreak of malaria has occurred when almost all 42 health centers in Begi, which has a population of more than 100,000, have been looted or destroyed, and patients with critical conditions cannot get urgent care because the health care centers are no longer functional, according to and local media reports. It is not known why the health centers were attacked and others looted, but the area has witnessed violence which the Federal Government has blamed the 'Oromo Liberation Army (OLA)' group as being responsible for the situation.

Hundreds of people have recently been killed and thousands of families displaced by violence in Oromia. The Oromia Liberation Movement (OLF) and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), both founded in the 1970s, are fighting the government over alleged mistreatment of locals. The Ethiopian government now recognizes the OLF as a legitimate political party, but has declared the OLA a terrorist group. The Horn of Africa nation is currently also facing a cholera outbreak that has already claimed the lives of more than 200 people as of August 2, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).