Flood: WHO scales up emergency response in Nigeria

To reduce the impact of the flood crisis affecting different parts of the country, the World Health Organisation (WHO), has said it is scaling up its support to Nigeria by providing more emergency health assistance.

The non-profit said it has begun providing food support, health care assistance, and hygiene kits to people in communities affected by the crisis.

This was contained in a statement issued by the non-profit organisation on Monday.

The WHO Representative in Nigeria, Walter Mulombo, said the crisis poses a risk of “severe health challenge” which mandates a swift response.

“The flooding in Nigeria poses a severe public health challenge, necessitating a swift, agile and comprehensive response. Close collaboration between government and partners such as WHO is critical to such efforts,” he said.

For this reason, WHO said it has deployed four mobile health teams comprising 20 medical personnel with essential drugs and medical supplies, to the affected areas in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, which recently experienced flash flooding.

According to the statement, WHO team has been providing treatment for minor ailments, routine immunisation, and antenatal and postnatal services to victims of the flood in Borno State.

It added that it provides mental health care and coordinates medical referrals to larger hospitals.

“Another WHO team of 50 frontline volunteers has been deployed to carry out community active case search for water-borne and vaccine preventable diseases in camps for the displaced,” the statement reads in part.

Supplies for Jigawa

In Jigawa, another state affected by flooding, WHO said it collaborated with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide shelter, food, blankets and sleeping nets.

According to the statement, it has also provided the state with about $45,000 of essential drugs and medical supplies, including rapid diagnostic kits for malaria and antimalarial medication.

WHO said it is dispatching similar donations to two other affected states, Bauchi and Kogi.

Prediction

Meanwhile, the NEMA spokesperson, Manzo Ezekiel, predicted that the flood crisis is likely to worsen in the coming weeks.

He said the situation could worsen in the coming weeks as flood waters flow downwards to central and southern states.

“WHO will continue to support the government as it strives to mitigate the impact of this ongoing health crisis and save lives,” says Mr. Malumbo.

Flood crisis

The recent flooding in Nigeria, particularly in the North-east, engulfed numerous residential areas, displacing tens of thousands of residents and causing zoo animals to escape freely into the streets.

According to authorities, about 30 people’s lives have been claimed by the Maiduguri flash flood, with over a million persons affected.

Also, the UN puts the total number of displaced persons at 414,000.

The incident is said to have been caused by the collapse of the Alau dam on the Ngadda River in the State on Tuesday.

This is the worst flooding the state has experienced since the dam collapsed 30 years ago.

Similarly, in Jigawa State, about 16 people have died, and more than three thousand displaced due to flood disaster.

This crisis has also displaced 3,936 households and destroyed 2,744 hectares of farmlands.

According to the state authorities, this has significant impacts on the agricultural practices and livelihoods of the people.