The European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS committed one million euros (N847 million) to combat the diphtheria outbreak in Nigeria’s Northeast and Northwest regions.
In an effort to respond to the illness’s breakout in Nigeria, the bloc provided funding to help stop the spread of the disease and support the most afflicted populations.
The EU on Tuesday, announced this in a statement signed by the EU Embassy in Abuja, stating that the EU’s humanitarian assistance will be worth 34 million euros in June 2023, among other things.
The statement said this amount is in addition to the 150,000 euros previously provided to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Disaster Response Emergency amount (DREF) in March 2023 to assist in managing the outbreak.
Also, the EU funding will allow UNICEF and the medical NGO ALIMA to give technical and personnel assistance to frontline health services in order to improve surveillance and case detection, treat patients, promote community awareness, and aid with vaccine procurement.
According to the statement:
“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 percent 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 percent of all confirmed cases. Analysis of the vaccination status reveals that over 60 percent 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.”
cc: Vanguard Ng
