To cushion the possible health challenges resulting from the flood disaster that recently ravaged Maiduguri, the World Health Organisation, WHO, has donated cholera and acute malnutrition kits to the Borno State government.
Dr Mary Brantuo, who represented the WHO country representative, Dr Walter Kazadi Molumbo, explained that the WHO team was in Maiduguri to commiserate with the government and the people of the state who were affected by the devastating flood.
Presenting the items to the state’s commissioner for health and human resources, Prof. Baba Mallam Gana, she noted that the situation was urgent and required immediate attention.
She explained, “We know that no single entity can address the scale of challenges alone.”
She added that it was the reason the WHO, in collaboration with partners, remained committed to providing technical and material support to the affected people.
According to Brantuo, the recent flooding had brought untold hardship to the people of Borno State, stressing that the disaster had 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.
She explained that the cholera kits donated would be essential in preventing and controlling potential outbreaks, adding that the kits would help frontline health workers combat malnutrition among children, giving them a fighting chance for a healthy future.
In his remarks, the commissioner thanked the WHO for the donation, saying the flood caused health challenges affecting mostly women and children.
