Jutha Gupah, Maiduguri
August 31, 2017.
The Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), an international medical
humanitarian organisation; has scaled up efforts to prevent further
spread and deaths from cholera in Maiduguri metropolis of Borno state.
The adopted preventative and treatment measures, according to MSF
authorities, include establishment of Cholera Treatment Unit (CTU) and
Oral Rehydration Points (ORP) at Dala; and the Muna Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp on Dikwa road.
This was disclosed on Thursday by the Project Coordinator of MSF,
Anne-Cecile Niard in a statement issued to journalists in Maiduguri,
the state capital Niard said the MSF is working in collaboration with the Ministry of
Health and other organisations to respond to outbreaks and diagnoses
of cholera in Maiduguri metropolis.
The statement reads: “We have already established a 40 bed Cholera
Treatment Unit (CTU) in Dala, which has so far admitted 70 patients.
MSF has also set up an Oral Rehydration Point (ORP) in Muna camp and
has a team of 14 Community Health Workers (CHW) who are helping to
find new cases and trace community members who may have come into
contact with affected patients.
“Most of the cholera patients come from Muna Garage, a camp for people
who have fled other parts of the state due to the ongoing conflict
between the Nigerian armed forces and Boko Haram.”
The project coordinator attributed the outbreak of cholera to heavy
down pours of rain in the last three days. She added that this led to
the flooding of the Muna Garage IDPs’ camp.
Naird lamented that; “The camp is partly flooded, making the already
poor sanitary conditions at the camp even worse, which is an
additional risk factor during a cholera outbreak. A potential case has
also now been reported from another part of the city.
On preventative and treatment measures, she said: “We set up a Cholera
Treatment Unit in Dala earlier this year in anticipation of a
potential outbreak.
“Since last weekend, we have witnessed a steady increase in the number
of patients at our treatment centre and at the rehydration point in
Muna camp. We are in the process of expanding the capacity of our
treatment centre in Dala to 50 beds and are exploring the possibility
of opening another treatment centre close to the most affected areas.
Naird was however worried on the number of beds that are currently
planned may not be enough to cope at the peak of outbreaks.
“MSF is also setting up rehydration points in places where new cases
are being reported and is sharing its medical expertise by training
state health workers and those from the World Health Organisation
(WHO) in prevention and control methods,” she said.
She assured that Maiduguri residents need not panic, but take adequate
precautions against contracting cholera from contaminated water
sources for domestic and industrial uses.
“With early diagnosis and treatment, people have a very good chance of
survival; already 37 patients have been discharged from our treatment
centre in Dala,” said Niard in the statement, adding that; MSF “If
people are worried that they have cholera, they should drink oral
rehydration solution and seek treatment as quickly as possible.”
