Fresh cholera outbreak claims 175 IDPs in Northeast

There are indications that fresh cholera outbreak in the North East, Nigeria, has killed over 175 persons in the war torn zone.

National Daily learnt that the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) on Tuesday confirmed that cholera killed 175 people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, and about 10,000 people hospitalised in the three states.

NRC Programme Manager, Janet Chenero, in a statement on Tuesday, advocated why governments in the respective states should improve hygiene facilities to combat the deadly cholera outbreaks. She attributed the cholera outbreak to crowded internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and host communities.

Chenero explained that the congestion in camps has made it difficult to provide adequate water, sanitation and hygiene services. She stated that the rainy season also worsened the conditions in camps and host communities.

“Number of displaced persons affected by cholera has shot up to 10,000. The disease is spreading quickly in congested IDP camps with limited access to proper sanitation facilities,” she said.

Cherono decried that the number of deaths recorded in the cholera outbreak has become higher than what would be expected in a situation where efficient treatment is available.

She recommended the state authorities to provide more space in camps and host communities for the construction of new water and sanitation facilities.

“If more land is not urgently provided for camp de-congestion and construction of health and sanitation facilities, Nigeria is steering towards yet another cholera outbreak in 2019,” the Programme Manager warned.

National Daily further gathered that the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) had remarked that Maiduguri has the highest concentration of IDPs, with 243,000 camp-like settlements and crowded host communities.

IOM lamented that the congestion made the displaced persons defecate in the open which in turn, causes water borne diseases.