Worried at the number of people vulnerable to emergencies, diseasters and other crises, the World Health Organization (WHO) has embarked on training and building capacity of African Health Volunteers Corps (AVoHC) that will help ensure rapid response to outbreak of diseases especially in Africa.
According to WHO in a press statement issued to Journalist in Abuja, preparation and early rapid execution of outbreak response strategies remains critical in detecting, containing, and mitigating the spread of potentially dangerous infectious diseases
It lamented that in Nigeria, emergencies, disasters, and other crises increases in number and magnitude daily, affecting thousands of vulnerable and unprotected people with the situation not improving soon.
“As of 2nd November 2022, 18,093 suspected cholera cases have been reported in 256 LGAs of 31 States (CFR 2.6%). About a 41% decrease in the number of new suspected Cholera cases observed compared to the previous 2 weeks, where 3,990 suspected cases were recorded
“Currently, the flooding situation has become overwhelming with 3,219,780 affected persons, 1,427,370 displaced persons, 2,776 injured, 612 deaths, 305,407 houses damaged, 176,852 hectares of partially damaged farmlands and 392,399 completely flooded damaged farmlands in 35 States as of 24th October 2022
It also noted the need for government and institutions to always deliver an early and effective response through prepared collaborations for new outbreaks. “they must be ready to respond nationally, sub-nationally and locally before an attack becomes an epidemic or pandemic adding that emergency workforce development is a critical domain that must be addressed to enhance Global Health Security and mitigate future Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC)
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