Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://www.journaldutchad.com/nord-...inement-total/
Northeast Nigeria: MSF medic dies from Covid-19, Borno declares total containment
Posted on 04.21.2020 at 12:51 a.m. by AFP
Borno state governor in northeastern Nigeria, one of the world's poorest regions wiped out by 10 years of conflict with Boko Haram jihadists, announced full containment on Monday , after the death of a M?decins sans fronti?res (MSF) nurse following Covid-19.
"I am ordering a confinement which involves the cessation of all movement in the state of Borno for an initial period of 14 days starting Wednesday, April 22, 2020," Governor Babagana Zulum said in a statement.
Several other states have already taken these very strict measures in the rest of Nigeria and these have led to strong social protests in this country where almost half of the population lives in extreme poverty.
This measure was put in place following the announcement of the death of a Nigerian nurse from MSF, who tested positive for Covid-19 during a post-mortem analysis. This is the first reported case of coronavirus in Borno, but the United Nations has said it "has no history of travel outside of Borno state."
Aid workers and local authorities have warned of a disaster if the virus spreads among the more than two million displaced people in the Lake Chad region, who are already suffering from dire health and medical conditions.
This region, which is one of the poorest in the world, is extremely vulnerable with seven million people already dependent on humanitarian aid to survive and almost all public services have been wiped out by the conflict.
The NGO MSF said it was supporting the authorities to identify "the people who may have been in contact with him (the virus, note)".
MSF will also "continue to help" in this region where the health system is failing after a decade of war against the jihadists.
"In order to protect our teams and our patients, MSF has strengthened its hygiene measures, its controls and set up isolation spaces" for patients suspected of being positive for the coronavirus, according to the press release.
"Humanitarian actors have adapted their way of working to prevent the spread of the virus" in the region, said Edward Kallon, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, in a statement.
"A Covid-19 processing facility and a test laboratory have been set up in Maiduguri and a second processing facility" is being created, he said.
"Humanitarian actors are installing handwashing stations and ensuring the supply of potable water to IDP camps and vulnerable communities," the text said.
The medic who lost his life is the 21st person to have died from the officially registered Covid-19 in Nigeria, but health professionals warn of a much greater spread of the virus on his territory: only 7,000 tests have been carried out to date in this country, the most populous in Africa with nearly 200 million inhabitants.
Northeast Nigeria: MSF medic dies from Covid-19, Borno declares total containment
Posted on 04.21.2020 at 12:51 a.m. by AFP
Borno state governor in northeastern Nigeria, one of the world's poorest regions wiped out by 10 years of conflict with Boko Haram jihadists, announced full containment on Monday , after the death of a M?decins sans fronti?res (MSF) nurse following Covid-19.
"I am ordering a confinement which involves the cessation of all movement in the state of Borno for an initial period of 14 days starting Wednesday, April 22, 2020," Governor Babagana Zulum said in a statement.
Several other states have already taken these very strict measures in the rest of Nigeria and these have led to strong social protests in this country where almost half of the population lives in extreme poverty.
This measure was put in place following the announcement of the death of a Nigerian nurse from MSF, who tested positive for Covid-19 during a post-mortem analysis. This is the first reported case of coronavirus in Borno, but the United Nations has said it "has no history of travel outside of Borno state."
Aid workers and local authorities have warned of a disaster if the virus spreads among the more than two million displaced people in the Lake Chad region, who are already suffering from dire health and medical conditions.
This region, which is one of the poorest in the world, is extremely vulnerable with seven million people already dependent on humanitarian aid to survive and almost all public services have been wiped out by the conflict.
The NGO MSF said it was supporting the authorities to identify "the people who may have been in contact with him (the virus, note)".
MSF will also "continue to help" in this region where the health system is failing after a decade of war against the jihadists.
"In order to protect our teams and our patients, MSF has strengthened its hygiene measures, its controls and set up isolation spaces" for patients suspected of being positive for the coronavirus, according to the press release.
"Humanitarian actors have adapted their way of working to prevent the spread of the virus" in the region, said Edward Kallon, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, in a statement.
"A Covid-19 processing facility and a test laboratory have been set up in Maiduguri and a second processing facility" is being created, he said.
"Humanitarian actors are installing handwashing stations and ensuring the supply of potable water to IDP camps and vulnerable communities," the text said.
The medic who lost his life is the 21st person to have died from the officially registered Covid-19 in Nigeria, but health professionals warn of a much greater spread of the virus on his territory: only 7,000 tests have been carried out to date in this country, the most populous in Africa with nearly 200 million inhabitants.