Nigeria: Benue Flood - Chief Medical Director Raises Alarm Over Looming Epidemic

Makurdi — As flood continues to sack more families in parts of Makurdi, Benue State, Chief Medical Director, Benue State University Teaching Hospital, BSUTH, Prof. Orkurga Malu, has warned of looming water and air borne diseases at the five camps open by the state government for displaced persons.

Prof. Malu, who raised the concern, weekend, while fielding questions from newsmen in Makurdi, urged the camp managers at the government official camps to insist on the proper disposal of sewage from the camps to avoid an outbreak of gastro-intestine diseases, Cholera and Tuberculosis among victims.

He regretted that the flood would cause skin diseases to persons, who live in close proximity to one another, adding that it had thrown up severe cases of malnutrition and hunger in the state.

He said: "Benue is the food basket of the nation, but the flood has destroyed several farmlands and so the people are at the verge of witnessing famine and hunger. Education of children of the affected had been adversely affected even as criminal activities are expected to be on the increase."

He decried the devastating effect of the flood on the teaching hospital, adding that the Maintenance Unit, which was only completed last week was on the verge of collapse due to the flood, adding that the hospital spent a lot of money relocating equipment to other buildings on higher level and had taken precautions to avoid cross bridging from the transformers, which had been submerged by the flood.