The Borno State government has confirmed two cholera cases at a camp in Maiduguri housing people displaced by floods.
The state’s health commissioner, Professor Baba Malum Gana, announced this on Monday during cholera and measles vaccinations, along with a vitamin A supplements campaign organised by the Borno government and UNICEF.
Gana said four suspected cholera cases were found, and two were confirmed positive after testing. The patients have recovered, while four more samples are being tested.
This development comes one week after the Borno State Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. El-Yakub Yakubu Mohammed, expressed concern over reports from various Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council.
Mohammed noted the dire conditions in these camps, which he said could lead to disease outbreaks in the coming days. He called for immediate action from the government and key stakeholders to address looming public health concerns following the flood in Maiduguri.
With thousands of people displaced, living in overcrowded conditions, and lacking access to clean water and sanitation facilities, there is a heightened risk of disease outbreaks, including cholera, malaria, and other water-borne and vector-borne diseases, Mohammed warned.
The government’s swift intervention is crucial in deploying more healthcare resources, strengthening disease surveillance, and ensuring that adequate preventive measures are in place to protect the health and well-being of the vulnerable populations in the affected areas, he said.
However, the state and federal governments have so far taken no meaningful action to alleviate the impact of the flood but sent bags of rice to the people.
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