Since late September 2024, the Afar region of Ethiopia—particularly Awash Fentale and Dulecha woredas in Zone 3—has experienced a significant increase in seismic activity. The situation reached a peak in December and intensified again in early 2025, with up to 14 earthquakes recorded in a single day, including a magnitude 5.8 tremor. The tremors, ranging from 4.4 to 6.0 on the Richter scale, have continued to shake communities across Afar and parts of Oromia, severely impacting lives, livelihoods, and essential services.
To date, the earthquake has affected more than 54,600 individuals, including over 6,200 children under five and 1,575 pregnant and lactating women. Approximately 9,106 households have been displaced, with 4,537 relocated to newly established internally displaced persons (IDP) sites. The population’s primary livelihoods are pastoralism (40%), agro-pastoralism (37%), and urban/daily labor (23%), making them particularly vulnerable to disruptions in access to water, grazing, and markets.The earthquakes have caused full or partial damage to eight health facilities (one health center and seven health posts), disrupting access to essential services at a time of heightened public health risk. Many health workers themselves have been displaced, further straining the fragile health system. Despite these challenges, five temporary clinics have been set up within IDP sites, supported by 76 deployed health professionals. Mobile Health Teams (MHTs) from WHO, EPHI, GOAL Ethiopia, and MCMDO are also delivering critical services across the affected areas.
A recent Child Health Days (CHD) campaign revealed a 1.7% severe acute malnutrition (SAM) rate and 24% global acute malnutrition (GAM), highlighting the urgent need for integrated health and nutrition services.
In close collaboration with the Zonal Health Department and humanitarian partners, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been at the forefront of the emergency response. WHO co-chairs regular Health Cluster coordination meetings and has provided substantial technical and financial support across multiple response pillars.
A WHO-supported five-member mobile health team is rotating weekly across clinics to ensure uninterrupted essential services. Twenty community volunteers supported by WHO have reached over 1,300 people with health education, linked 44 symptomatic individuals to clinics, and contributed to the construction of 25 emergency latrines.
WHO has trained 85 community volunteers on community-based surveillance, risk communication, and sanitation. An additional 46 Rapid Response Team (RRT) members and 25 health workers have received specialized training in emergency response and mental health (MH-GAP).
A total of 197 water samples have been tested so far, with 97% meeting WHO turbidity standards. In response to water scarcity, WHO distributed 1,500 boxes of water purification supplies to 1,730 households. WHO also financially supported 10 Woreda WASH officers to monitor water safety.Despite these robust efforts, significant gaps remain. Laboratory services are inadequate, IPC/WASH infrastructure is limited, and larval breeding sites are proliferating due to stagnant water and poor drainage. While five out of six mobile clinics have been reinstalled, overall service coverage remains constrained by damaged infrastructure and resource shortages.
To address the evolving needs, WHO and partners plan to deploy additional Mobile Health and Nutrition Teams (MHNTs), continue water quality testing and community health outreach, and strengthen disease surveillance and emergency preparedness at the community level.
The response in Afar stands as a testament to the importance of rapid, coordinated action in disaster-affected settings. With sustained support and collaboration, the affected communities can be guided toward recovery, resilience, and long-term health system strengthening.
