The United Nations has donated the sum of $2 million to address the problem of cholera outbreak in the North East, particularly in Yobe State.
The donation was made through the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund on Friday in Abuja.
The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Mr Edward Kallon, said the donation became necessary in view of the devastating effect of the disease in Yobe State.
In a statement issued by the Head of Communications, UN OCHA, Ms. Samantha Newport, a total of 404 cases and 15 deaths had been reported in the North-East.
She quoted Kallon as saying the UN had, in connection with relevant bodies, including the ministry of health in the state, urgently attended to the communities affected.
More resources, Kallon said, were still needed to stop the problem before the rainy season to prevent its spread.
He stated further: “The funds will enable humanitarian partners to provide safe water to over 1.6 million people, improve sanitation for thousands in the affected communities, and boost the technical and human resource capacity in hotspot areas so that cholera can be detected early and treated promptly.
“Raising awareness of how to identify, prevent and treat cholera is also a key part of the response to the outbreak.
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“Cholera outbreaks can potentially impact and kill thousands of people, especially women, children and men, who are living in overcrowded places such as camps for internally displaced persons.
“Surveillance and early detection are key to limiting the number of fatalities and the spread of the outbreak.”
Kallon explained that the fund would help the UN and partners strengthen the capacity of community health personnel and equip local health facilities.
He pointed out that 7.7 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance in 2018 in the worst-affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, and 6.1 million were targeted for humanitarian assistance.
