Press. voanews.com
The World Health Organization reports 844,000
people in northeast Nigeria have been reached with one dose of oral cholera
vaccine in an effort to prevent the fatal disease from spreading. The latest
figures show nearly 4,000 suspected cases, including 54 deaths in the region.
The week-long campaign that ended Monday was
centered in a camp for internally displaced people in Maiduguri, the capital of
Borno state, as well as in several local government areas nearby.
World Health Organization spokesman Tarek
Jasarevic says hundreds of thousands of people above age one have received the
oral vaccine and will be protected against cholera for up to six months. He
notes the number of people at risk of getting cholera within an affected
population decreases sharply as more people are vaccinated.
“Cholera vaccines are used as a preventive
tool in areas with few or no cases, but at high risk of the spread of the
disease," said Jasarevic. "For example, there are neighboring areas
that are more affected. Obviously, I think there is an issue of access.
Security is a major constraint with the recent attacks on humanitarian staff.”
The World Food Program suspended its operation
in Borno state after aid workers were attacked in a camp for displaced people
in Maiduguri at the end of August. The Boko Haram insurgency has killed more
than 20,000 people and displaced more than two million since 2009.
Jasarevic says the oral cholera vaccine is
only one of the tools available to combat this disease. He says it should be
combined with prevention activities, such as informing communities about the
need for good sanitation and hygiene and providing them with access to safe
water. He says the World Health Organization is establishing cholera treatment
centers as another important element in containing this outbreak.