More than 2.5 million people in Nigeria are in need of humanitarian assistance and at increased risk of waterborne diseases, drowning and malnutrition due to the most severe flooding in the past decade, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned in a statement Friday. Over 1.5 million children are among those affected by the floods.
Nigerian authorities say the floods have killed more than 600 people and displaced 1.3 million, affecting 34 out of the 36 states in the country. Over 200,000 houses have either been partially or fully damaged. UNICEF says cases of diarrhoea and water-borne diseases, respiratory infection, and skin diseases have already been on the rise. In the north-eastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe alone, a total of 7,485 cases of cholera and 319 associated deaths were reported as of 12 October.
According to UNICEF, children and adolescents in flood-affected areas are in an extremely vulnerable situation, because they are particularly at risk of waterborne diseases and emotional and psychological distress. As rains in Nigeria are expected to continue for several weeks, humanitarian needs are also expected to rise.
The floods are adding another layer of complexity to an already precarious humanitarian situation in the country, particularly in north-eastern and north-western states. Before the floods, at least 19 million people across Nigeria were facing severe food insecurity and more than 8.4 million people in Northern Nigeria were in need of humanitarian assistance. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) forecasts cereal production will likely decline because of the flooding, insecurity and higher agriculture production costs.
According to UNICEF’s Children's Climate Risk Index (CCRI), Nigeria is considered at 'extremely high risk' of the impacts of climate change, ranking second out of 163 countries. Children in 'extremely high risk' countries face a deadly combination of exposure to multiple climate and environmental shocks combined with high levels of underlying child vulnerability, due to inadequate essential services, such as water and sanitation, healthcare and education.
UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, is the agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. Created in 1946 as the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, UNICEF is today one of the largest humanitarian organizations in the world. UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to protect children’s rights.
Further information
Full text: More than 1.5 million children at risk as devastating floods hit Nigeria, UNICEF press release, published October 21, 2022
https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/more-15-million-children-risk-devastating-floods-hit-nigeria
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