The World Health Organization (WHO) has increased its emergency response activities in the North-east of the country, particularly in areas formerly held by Boko Haram.
A statement from the organization yesterday said an emergency health team arrived in Maiduguri, Borno State last weekend to assess and respond to the health needs of 800, 000 people in the sub-region.
The statement said initial assessments revealed urgent health problems among the population in 15 local government areas formerly held by the militant group.
“Estimated mortality rates in some of the areas are four times higher than emergency thresholds. The rate of severe malnutrition is estimated to be 14%. In addition, Nigeria last week reported two polio cases in Borno State, two years after the last recorded case in the country. One of the cases is from a LGA that is still inaccessible to health service delivery, while the other is from a newly accessible LGA. Measles cases have also been reported in the area, further complicating a challenging humanitarian environment,” the statement said.
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