A cholera epidemic has hit Borno state in northeastern Nigeria, already hit by floods that have displaced nearly 2 million people, an official said Friday.
Cholera outbreaks are not uncommon in Borno, the epicenter of a 15-year-old Islamist insurgency that has displaced thousands of people into camps and strained sanitation facilities and drinking water sources.
Borno Health Commissioner Baba Mallam Gana told reporters that 17 cases had been recorded following testing but there had been no deaths so far.
“However, we are recording an increasing number of cases of acute watery diarrhea (AWD) and suspected cholera, which is not unrelated to the devastating floods,” Mr. Gana said.
Nearly 500 cases of acute watery diarrhea have been recorded, Mr Gana added, with five local government areas being the worst affected.
The flooding in Borno began when a dam overflowed following heavy rains, displacing millions of people from their homes and damaging sanitation and other infrastructure.
Mr. Gana said to combat the latest outbreak, the state received 300,000 doses of Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) from the Federal Ministry of Health, which were distributed to IDP camps and affected communities. by floods.
The state is expecting an additional 600,000 doses of vaccine to ensure adequate coverage.
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