By Muhammad Amaan
The European Union Delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has allocated the sum of €1million for the fight against diphtheria outbreak in the Northeast and Northwest region of Nigeria.
The bloc, in a bid to respond to the outbreak of the disease in Nigeria, donated funds to help curb the spread of the disease and assist the most affected communities.
The bloc committed this in a statement signed by the EU Embassy in Abuja, saying the EU’s humanitarian contribution aimed to fight epidemics and climate challenges, among others, to the tune of 34 million euros in June 2023.
According to the statement, this fund is in addition to the 150,000 euros earlier allocated to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in March 2023 to help control the epidemic.
This new EU funding will enable UNICEF and the medical NGO, ALIMA, to provide technical and staff support to frontline health agencies to enhance surveillance and case detection, treatment of cases, raise community awareness, and assist with the procurement of vaccines.
“Nigeria is currently facing the world’s second-largest diphtheria outbreak, with 10,322 confirmed and 16,616 suspected cases since the beginning of the year.
“Kano State represents the outbreak’s epicentre, with 8,447 confirmed cases and 589 deaths. The most affected states are Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Borno, Bauchi, and Kaduna, which collectively account for 96 per cent of all suspected cases.
“Despite control efforts since the start of the outbreak in late 2022, the disease has gradually spread to other states in the Northwest and Northeast regions.
“Children aged 1 to 14 years are the most affected, and they represent 72 per cent of all confirmed cases. Analysis of the vaccination status reveals that over 60 per cent of all suspected cases have not been vaccinated.
“The funding is part of the EU’s Epidemics tool, created to provide rapid funding in case of a disease outbreak.
“Diphtheria is a highly contagious bacterial infection transmitted between humans and causes an infection of the upper respiratory tract, which can lead to breathing difficulties and suffocation.
“Those most at risk are children and people who have not been fully vaccinated against the disease,” it stated.
The embassy statement also indicated that the EU, together with its member states, is the leading donor of humanitarian aid in the world.
“Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity towards people in need around the world,” it said.
It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.
The EU, through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Department, helps millions of victims of conflicts and disasters every year.
Through its headquarters in Brussels and its global network of field offices, the EU assists the most vulnerable people based on humanitarian needs alone.
