WHO, Borno Partner to Immunize 900,000 Persons Against Cholera

* Death toll rises to 48

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday said it was collaborating with Borno State Government to immunise 900,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and residents of Maiduguri against cholera.

The outbreak of the disease recently in the state has now caused 48 deaths with 2,627 treated cases.

The state Ministry of Health said it had already targeted a population of 348,000 in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) and three host communities for the five-day immunisation exercise.

Flagging off the immunisation exercise at Muna camp, the state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Usman Durkwa, said the immunisation exercise was targeted at all IDPs camps and Maiduguri residents above the age of one.

 

Durkwa, while thanking WHO and other international and local health partners,

said: "The state government has already intervened by saving many lives from the water borne disease that broke out on August 16, 2017, at Muna Garage camp."

The deputy governor, who was represented by the Head of Service, Yerima Saleh, disclosed that the targeted communities and camps are in the ‘Cholera hot spots’ of Muna corridor and five council areas of Jere, Konduga, Dikwa, Monguno and the metropolis.

Addressing women and their children during the commencement of the exercise, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Haruna Mshelia, said 2,627 cases were reported with a death toll of 48, representing a fatality rate of 1.8 per cent.

He said in the Muna corridor housing several IDPs’ camps, 1, 425 cases were reported by the various health teams, while Dikwa and Monguno towns had 600 and 607 cases respectively.

The commissioner said four cholera treatment centres were established at Dikwa and Monguno, with two in the Maiduguri metropolis at Dala.

Mshelia added that oral re-hydration points were also set up by WHO, Medecin Sans Frontiers

(MSF), Doctors Without Borders and other international health agencies in the treatment of reported cases.

He noted that 1,068 latrines in IDP camps have been evacuated and discharge to prevent further spread of cholera within and outside camps.

On targeted IDPs and residents, Mshelia said: “As the Health Ministry and WHO have mobilised vaccinators and enumerators with 915,005 procured doses of vaccines, Muna camps have 2, 493 households to be immunised, while in Monguno, 408 households are also to be immunised."