Families seeking refuge after Nigeria floods now face cholera alert

Forced from their homes by flooding and without clean water, thousands of families in Northern Nigeria are now facing the added risk of a cholera outbreak, officials warn More than 2,000 people were made homeless when torrential floods struck northern Nigeria’s Adamawa state. Earlier this month, five districts - Fufore, Demsa, Yola North, Yola South and Numan - were flooded when the River Lagdo burst its banks, the Nigeria Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said.

An outbreak of cholera has since hit three of these regions and the illness has killed 70 people out of the 300-plus who were infected, local government official Yahaya Hamman-Julde told the United Nations news service. The outbreak was caused by floodwaters contaminating wells used for drinking water, sat local health officials. "We are really worried about the possibility of the resurgence of the cholera outbreak in flood-hit areas and our priority now is averting that looming disaster," said Aliyu Sambo, head of NEMA.

Most of those who had to leave their homes when floods hit are now living in temporary shelters or in local schools. But few have access to clean water or sanitation, which puts them at higher risk of catching diseases such as cholera. And once an outbreak takes hold, it will spread quickly in the crowded, dirty camps, which are often a breeding ground for disease. "We are doing our best to provide clean water for the displaced but our efforts are limited to a few trucks a day so people have to turn to unsafe water to meet their needs," Sambo said. "It is an emergency situation and there is no time to sink boreholes, so we have to make do with what we can provide.” To make matters worse, many of the recent cholera victims have not been able to get medical treatment because healthworkers across the country have been on strike since June over pay and conditions.

Last September, a spate of cholera outbreaks in northern Nigeria claimed almost 100 lives in Katsina, Zamfara and Bauchi states. Cholera is a gut infection, carried by water and causes serious diarrhoea and vomiting leading to dehydration. With a short incubation period, it can be fatal if not treated in time. Nigeria is among four West African countries where less than half of the population can access safe drinking water, according to figures from the United Nations. After lurching from one military coup to another, Nigeria now has an elected leadership. But it faces the growing challenge of preventing Africa's most populous country from breaking apart along ethnic and religious lines.

By Hayley Jarvis for SOS Children