The World Health Organization (WHO) has donated cholera and severe acute malnutrition (SAM) kits to the Borno State government to cushion the possible health challenges resulting from the flood disaster that recently ravaged Maiduguri.
Maiduguri and its environs were submerged when some dykes in Alau Dam in Konduga local government area of the state broke down, resulting in the flooding incident that overwhelmed the city.
Presenting the items to the Borno State Government through Prof. Baba Mallam Gana, the commissioner of health and human resources on Saturday in Maiduguri, the Officer in Charge, Dr Mary Brantuo, who represented the WHO Country Representative, Dr Walter Kazadi Molumbo, said the WHO team was in Maiduguri to commiserate with the government and the people of the state who were affected by the devastating flood.
Dr Brantuo noted that the challenges brought by the flood which wreaked havoc, displacing thousands and submerging homes, schools, and hospitals required immediate attention.
“We know that no single entity can address the scale of the challenges alone. This is why WHO, in collaboration with partners, remains committed to providing technical and material support.
“It is essential to recognise that the recent flooding has brought untold hardship to the people of Borno State. This disaster has not only displaced families but also heightened the risk of deadly diseases such as cholera, and worsened the nutritional status of children who are already vulnerable to malnutrition,” Dr. Brantuo said.
She added that the cholera kits donated to the state will be essential in preventing and controlling potential outbreaks of the disease among the people.
Brantuo stressed also that the kits will help frontline health workers combat malnutrition among children, giving them a fighting chance for a healthy future.
Speaking further, the WHO official added that the kits contained life-saving medical supplies and treatments designed to support the management of cholera cases.
She added that each cholera kit has the potential to treat up to 100 cholera patients, meaning the total number of kits provided can treat up to 600 people suffering from cholera.
Dr Brantuo said the fourteen (14) SAM kits will provide essential therapeutic supplies to treat children facing acute malnutrition, stressing that each SAM kit can treat 1,607 severely malnourished children, making it possible to reach and help 225,000 children in the affected areas.
“The 20 (IEHK 2017, Basic) module, medicines and 100 (IEHK 2017, basic) modules, can treat 10,000 person patients and 20 kits provided can treat 200,000 persons. WHO is repurposing available funding for humanitarian response towards current emergencies operations (Human Resource Health, commodities among others),” she further said.
In his remarks, the state Commissioner of Health and Human Resources, Prof Gana, commended WHO for the donation, saying the disaster caused health challenges, with the incident affecting mostly women and children.
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