Borno records 450 IDPs deaths from disease, malnutrition
(Nigeria) The Borno State Government has confirmed that 450
people died from ailments and malnutrition across the Internally Displaced
Persons, IDPs, Camps in the state.
The state Commissioner of Health, Dr. Haruna Mshelia who
made the disclosure at briefing, said "Contrary to media report,
statistics shows that, a total of 54,000 children under the ages of 5 and below
were recorded in all the resettlement camps, in which, 98 children (1.5%) had
severe cases of malnutrition and died last year. The figure of the dead toll
was misquoted as 450 instead of 98."
The Health Commissioner added that the 450 deaths were
recorded across the IDPs camps including adult and children as a result of
commonest ailments and other causes, such as, malaria, Diarrhea, Pneumonia,
Measles and of course malnutrition.
Dr. Mshelia pointed out that all children under five years
living at IDP camps were screened every 2-3 months for evidence of
malnutrition, meaning a child can be screened up to four times in a year.
He disclosed that in 2015, over 200,000 children were
screened, out of which, 6,444 were found to be severely malnourished and
therefore treated through Community Management of Acute Malnutrition, CMAM and
Infant and Young Child Feeding, IYCF, programmes of the State Primary Health
Care Development Agency, SPHCDA, and as well supported by Nutrition Programme
Support Partners like UNICEF, Save the Children, SC, Action Against Hunger, AAH,
among others.
He however noted that the National Demographic and Health
Survey Data (NDHS- 2013) reveals that even the North East that had suffered
much due to insurgency, has an under-five mortality rate of 160 deaths per
1,000, second only to the North West with 185 deaths per 1,000 population.
He commended all the Health Care Partners, especially
Medicine SAN Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders) French Section for not only
proving care for malnourished children in the state, but also renovated and
equipped most structures and facilities at Umaru Shehu General Hospital in
Bulumkutu, State Specialists Hospital, General Mamman Shuwa Memorial Hospital
(Nursing Home), all in Maiduguri Metropolis.
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