Fear of disease outbreak looms in Maiduguri after severe flooding 

Fear of disease outbreak has engulfed medical experts over the severe flooding in Borno’s Capital Maiduguri where about 400,000 residents have been displaced with 24 deaths.

Expressing concerns, the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in a statement on Saturday, said that it is highly concerned about the significant risk of malaria and waterborne diseases, including cholera, following the recent flooding that swallowed vast parts of Maiduguri.

It further said that the situation could increase the levels of malnutrition in the area.

“We are very concerned about the precarious living conditions and the potential outbreaks of cholera and malaria”, says Dr Issaley Abdel Kader MSF Head of mission in Nigeria.

“The number of children affected by malaria and acute watery diarrhea had already started to increase before the flooding, and we have seen some with clinical signs of cholera since the floods. We are afraid that the number of cases will rise without the increase of medical and humanitarian support, especially regarding water, sanitation, and hygiene.”

MSF said its teams went to several displacement sites (Galtimari, Yerwa, Ali Sheriff, Vocational Enterprise Institute, Teachers Village) to assess people’s needs and started the provision of essential services such as access to water through water trucking and water tanks, the installation and repair of latrines, and the distribution of mosquito nets.

“Teams are also running outpatient consultations in the sites, including mental health support, and referring critical patients to the facilities we support.

“Given the risks posed by malaria and cholera, MSF is also planning to expand the paediatric facility it supports by 100 beds, to meet the demand of the likely increase in malaria cases. Teams have begun setting up a cholera treatment centre that can be increased to a 100-bed capacity, if needed.”