Massive flooding in Maiduguri. Some victims of the flood in Maiduguri are moving their belongings away from their flooded homes. © Abba Adamu Musa/MSF
Two men walking in the floods in a neighborhood affected by the flood in Maiduguri, Borno state, Northeast Nigeria. © Abba Adamu Musa/MSF
We are very concerned about the precarious living conditions and the potential outbreaks of cholera and malaria. The number of children affected by malaria and acute watery diarrhoea 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.Dr Issaley Abdel Kader - Head of mission
Last week, Doctors Without Borders teams went to several displacement sites (Galtimari, Yerwa, Ali Sheriff, Vocational Enterprise Institute, Teachers Village) to assess people’s needs and start 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, Doctors Without Borders 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.
Doctors Without Borders' Nurse Yakellu takes a blood sample of a displaced woman to test for malaria at Teachers Village camp, Maiduguri, Borno state, Northeast Nigeria. © Abba Adamu Musa/MSF
The Borno State government has announced the closure and merging of most displacement sites in the coming days. They plan to keep three main sites to accommodate people who still have no place to stay for one more week, and a mass cholera vaccination is upcoming.
All parties involved in the humanitarian response must continue providing assistance to the people affected by the floods as long as it will be necessary and ensure immediate and easy access to medical care for those who need it. The closure of most sites means that many will find themselves in a very vulnerable situation. For those remaining in the sites, prompt action must be taken to swiftly improve hygiene conditions, including access to latrines, safe water and mosquito nets.Dr Issaley Abdel Kader - Head of mission
Support for communities won’t just be needed at the new displacement sites. Well before the flooding, the entire population of Maiduguri was already facing huge challenges, including one of the worst malnutrition crises recorded in northeast Nigeria. In the past months, hundreds of severely malnourished children were admitted every week in the Doctors Without Borders nutritional care hospital.
Displaced people walking into the Teachers Village camp, one of the 30 camps where the people displaced by flood found shelter in Maiduguri, Northeast Nigeria. © Abba Adamu Musa/MSF
Admissions to the nutritional facilities had just started to reduce when the flooding occurred. With markets and businesses heavily impacted, the harvest damaged and livestock washed away, there is huge concern that the downward trend will reverse and admissions start to rise again.Dr Ashok S Sankpal, dep. medical coord.
This is the second time in just a few weeks’ time Doctors Without Borders has had to launch emergency responses linked to flooding in northern Nigeria. In August in Gummi, Zamfara state, homes and farms were destroyed and thousands left newly displaced by severe flooding. Like Maiduguri, people in this area already face significant challenges, including malnutrition, persistent insecurity and lack of access to healthcare. Doctors Without Borders teams have been supporting communities in Gummi over the last few weeks by delivering clean drinking water, repairing boreholes and delivering kits which include plastic sheets for temporary shelter and mosquito nets.