By Dauda R. Pam, Maiduguri
About 1.5 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) may be infected by COVID-19 due to acute shortage of water sanitation facilities coupled with limited hygiene essentials in camps and host communities in Borno State.
This was contained in a statement by Scot Hamilton, Communication Manager,
Medecins San Frontieres, (MSF), in Maiduguri on Saturday.
The MSF raised the alarm In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, malaria, malnutrition and water-borne diseases.
It warned that about 1.5m IDPs in Borno are faced with the spectre of deadly virus that has already claimed over 52, 000 lives globally.
Hamilton lamented that already “Many live in vastly overcrowded camps with poor water and sanitation facilities as well as limited supplies of hygiene essentials of soap and water.
He said there are also no individual space at all within the crowded makeshifts and tents and functioning health infrastructure is scarce and the capacity to refer patients is extremely limited.
According to the statement, many people are already vulnerable to outbreaks of disease, essential humanitarian assistance must be maintained while, water and sanitation facilities must be improved upon in IDP camps just as frontline health workers on whom the population will depend.
He argued that they must also have access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as already, many IDPs suffer from illnesses endemic to overcrowded settlements, such as water-borne diseases and respiratory tract infections like pneumonia, which has been identified as a significant threat coupled with COVID-19 pandemic.
On hazards of contracting COVID-19, he said: “It has a devastating effect on healthcare systems, economies and populations worldwide.
He said there are also no individual space at all within the crowded makeshifts and tents and functioning health infrastructure is scarce and the capacity to refer patients is extremely limited.
According to the statement, many people are already vulnerable to outbreaks of disease, essential humanitarian assistance must be maintained while, water and sanitation facilities must be improved upon in IDP camps just as frontline health workers on whom the population will depend.
He argued that they must also have access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as already, many IDPs suffer from illnesses endemic to overcrowded settlements, such as water-borne diseases and respiratory tract infections like pneumonia, which has been identified as a significant threat coupled with COVID-19 pandemic.
On hazards of contracting COVID-19, he said: “It has a devastating effect on healthcare systems, economies and populations worldwide.
“Coronavirus also poses a substantial threat in Borno State,” noting that even if COVID-19 were not present in Nigeria, the need for humanitarian assistance in the state could still be massive.
On the outbreak, he added: “In just less than a month, rainy season will commence, bringing with it a surge in cases of malaria and malnutrition.
“In Maiduguri, Ngala, Pulka and Gwoza, our hospitals run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and during rainy season they will all be full.”
Hamilton disclosed that last year, the MSF teams treated more than 10,000 patients for malnutrition in Borno and more than 33,000 confirmed cases of malaria. According to him, over 40,000 patients were also admitted to MSF’s emergency rooms.
He further warned the effect that COVID-19 will have on patients must not be underestimated.
“If the chaos caused by this pandemic is allowed to curtail humanitarian assistance, the results will be catastrophic,” he said.
On the outbreak, he added: “In just less than a month, rainy season will commence, bringing with it a surge in cases of malaria and malnutrition.
“In Maiduguri, Ngala, Pulka and Gwoza, our hospitals run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and during rainy season they will all be full.”
Hamilton disclosed that last year, the MSF teams treated more than 10,000 patients for malnutrition in Borno and more than 33,000 confirmed cases of malaria. According to him, over 40,000 patients were also admitted to MSF’s emergency rooms.
He further warned the effect that COVID-19 will have on patients must not be underestimated.
“If the chaos caused by this pandemic is allowed to curtail humanitarian assistance, the results will be catastrophic,” he said.
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