UNICEF treats 5, 000 children of severe acute malnutrition in Borno
By Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has treated 5, 000 children of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in Mafa local council of Borno state.
Treatment of children was under the UN agency’s Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) interventions in the health and water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sectors.
Read Also: Bauchi Institute Graduates 155 Students Of Bullying, Peace Management
The interventions are supported by the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERO) and European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operation (ECHO).
Unfolding the malnutrition measures, yesterday (Thursday), at the Mafa stabilization centre, UNICEF’s nutrition officer, Nura Shehu, disclosed: “About 14, 000 children below the age of five, in Mafa local council are malnourished in this year,” stating that out this, 9, 000 are having other medical complications before being treated for SAM.
He noted that children with severe acute malnutrition are referred to the stabilization centre of Mafa, the council headquarters along Maiduguri-Mafa Road.
Shehu attributed SAM to multiple displacement of people with the closure of Maiduguri, Muna Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Customs camps by Governor Babagana Zulum.
According to him, the Muna IDP camp established in 2016 had a cholera outbreak with the loss of several lives.
The UNICEF’s WASH Specialist, Lonis Salihu, also said that three boreholes were rehabilitated with 14 tap heads each.
He noted that prior to rehabilitation, children bore the highest burden of inadequate potable water facilities in camp with high cases of cholera, malnutrition and truancy in schools.
Besides the boreholes, he added that hygiene promoters go from house to house in sensitizing people on the importance of personal and environmental hygiene.
