United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has donated equipment worth $69,075 (N113,284,213.60) to the Borno State Government to combat the cholera outbreak.
UNICEF’s Deputy Representative, Dr Rownak Khan, handed over the equipment, comprising 30 Acute Watery Diarrhea kits and 50 cholera beds, to support the state’s emergency response.
Since September, Borno has recorded over 450 suspected cholera cases, with 128 testing positive and 17 cultures confirming Vibrio Cholerae. The most affected areas are Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC), Jere, Konduga, Mafa, and Monguno.
According to Dr. Khan, UNICEF’s support includes risk communication, hygiene promotion, safe water supply, cholera vaccination, chlorination of water sources, emergency latrine construction, and case management services.
Through these efforts, 13,750 people have benefited from safe excreta disposal, 28,243 individuals received hygiene promotion, 43,689 people accessed safe water supply, and 290,000 persons were vaccinated against cholera.
Dr. Khan stated, “It was a joint effort between the government and partners; UNICEF is one of the partners, and we also have other partners who put a lot of effort into bringing the cholera vaccine to Nigeria.”
UNICEF has supplied 300,000 cholera vaccine doses, with 669,374 more doses expected. “We have now delivered 300,000 doses of the cholera vaccine for the population, and those vaccines have already been administered; it’s an oral vaccine, so they were given orally.”
Additional doses are on the way. “We are also bringing additional doses; I don’t have the exact number, but another 600,000 doses are coming,” Dr. Khan said.
The cholera vaccine is a rare commodity, managed through an interagency coordination group at the global level. “The Nigerian government, along with partners UNICEF, had to advocate a lot to bring this oral cholera vaccine to Nigeria.”
Dr. Khan expressed gratitude, saying, “My heartfelt thank you to the government of Nigeria, as they are the leading agency, but also to the other partners.”
The goal is to reach 500,000 people, mostly children, through this vaccination effort. “We intend to reach 500,000 people, half a million, mostly kids, through this vaccination effort.”
UNICEF has deployed 54 health technicians and support staff for enhanced surveillance and case detection.
ALSO READ THESE TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then