Agency scales up campaign against cholera in Borno

chika ebuzor

September 22, 2017 5:23 PM

The WHO Country Representative, Mr Wondi Alimu, disclosed this on Friday when he visited the Muna Garage Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says it has scaled up activities to combat cholera outbreak in Borno.

The WHO Country Representative, Mr Wondi Alimu, disclosed this on Friday when he visited the Muna Garage Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Maiduguri.

Alimu said that the organisation had anticipated the outbreak in May 2017, and adopted measures to control it.

He attributed the outbreak to congestion and poor sanitation in IDP camps, adding that effective measures are evolved to contain the outbreak.

The WHO official said that medical personnel, drugs and sanitation kits were provided in the affected areas to enhance quick response to the outbreak.

Alimu said that the organisation had intensified surveillance,monitoring and community sensitisation activities to contain spread of the disease.

“The protection rate is about 60 to 65 per cent but what is critical is the intervention. We are also involved in sensitisation, sanitation and fumigation of critical affected areas,” he said.

ALSO READ: WHO to vaccinate 915,000 people in Borno

Statistics from the state Ministry of Health showed 48 persons died of cholera while over 2,000 cases of the disease were recorded in the past one month in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that cholera outbreak was recorded at Maiduguri, Monguno and Dikwa local government areas of the state.

chika ebuzor