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, the state’s capital.
Maiduguri and its environs were recently submerged with flooding when the Alau Dam overflowed after days of torrential rainfall.
Presenting the items to Prof. Baba Mallam Gana, the state’s Commissioner of Health and Human Resources, Dr Mary Brantuo, Officer in Charge, representing the WHO Country Representative, Dr Walter Kazadi Molumbo, said the team was in Maiduguri to commiserate with the government and the people of Borno State over the devastating flood.
Brantuo noted that the flood has wreaked havoc, displacing thousands and submerging homes, schools, and hospitals, saying that the situation was urgent and required immediate attention.
“We know that no single entity can address the scale of challenges alone. This is why WHO, in collaboration with partners, remains committed to providing technical and material support.
“As we gather here, 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 already vulnerable to malnutrition,” Dr. Brantuo said.
She added that the cholera kits donated will be essential in preventing and controlling potential outbreaks.
The WHO officer stressed that the SAM kits will help frontline health workers combat malnutrition among children, giving them a fighting chance for a healthy future.
She added that these kits contain life-saving medical supplies and treatments designed to support the management of cholera cases, saying that each kit has the potential to treat up to 100 cholera patients.
She further added that the 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, malaria can treat 10,000 person and 20 kit provided can treat 200,000 persons.
WHO is repurposing available funding for humanitarian response towards current emergencies operations (Human Resource for Health, commodities among others),” she further said.
In his remarks, the Commissioner of Health and Human Resources, Prof Gana, commended WHO for the donation, saying that the flood disaster caused health challenges affecting mostly women and children.
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