The European Union (EU) delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS has donated €1 million (847 million naira) to fight the diphtheria outbreak in Nigeria’s northeast and north-west regions.
In an attempt to address the disease outbreak in Nigeria, the bloc donated funds to support those most affected and stop the spread of the disease.
In a statement issued by the EU Embassy in Abuja, the organization said the €34 million made available in June 2023 will be used by the EU to fight, among other things, diseases and climate-related issues, underlining the commitment. expressed.
According to the statement, this amount will be added to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ (IFRC) Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) in March 2023 to the €150,000 previously provided for disaster relief purposes. It is something that epidemic control.
With this additional EU financing, UNICEF and the medical non-governmental organization ALIMA will be working on the front lines with staff and technical support to improve surveillance and case finding, treat cases, raise community awareness and support vaccine procurement. It will be possible to support medical services.
“Nigeria is currently facing the second largest diphtheria epidemic in the world, with 10,322 confirmed cases and 16,616 suspected cases since the beginning of the year.
“Kano state is the epicenter of the outbreak with 8,447 cases and 589 deaths. The worst affected states are Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Borno, Bauchi and Kaduna states, Accounts for 96% of all suspected cases.
“Despite efforts to control the outbreak since it began in late 2022, the disease has gradually spread to other states in the North West and North East.
“Children between the ages of 1 and 14 are the most affected, and they account for 72 per cent of all confirmed cases. Analysis of vaccination status shows that more than 60 per cent of all suspected cases are unvaccinated. It turned out that he had not been vaccinated.”
Source: dailypost.ng