Friday, 13 March 2015

The Boko Haram insurgency: implications for Public health ( in Nigeria ) by Seye Abimbola et al : A synopsis

Published on line : March 4 2015
Source : The Lancet; volume 385, 9972

Main highlights of the publication :
-  The Boko Haram insurgency
-  Worsening health indices in the affected 3 states.
- The effect of the crisis on  vaccine preventable diseases such as polio and measles.
-  The scourge of diarrheal diseases, such as cholera and malaria amongst the displaced people.
- A call for help. 

 The Boko Haram group has for 6 years terrorized Northeast Nigeria. 3 states : Yobe Adamawa and Borno have been seriously and adversely affected.

The maternal and child mortality figures are not encouraging in these regions.

Public health threats such as Polio may re emerge due to this crisis. There is currently an ongoing Measles outbreak in the said region.

Diarrheal diseases have been found to be most prevalent in the official and unofficial camps. The official camps are said to host just about 150000 of the over 980000 internally displaced people.

There is poor access to health care and poor sanitary conditions in the said camps.
Pregnant women,people with chronic diseases and children have little or no access to healthcare and medications.

A call is being made to policy makers and global health leaders nationally and internationally to rise up to the challenges being faced in the camps and relieve the suffering of the people.

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