UN raises concern as cholera kills three in refugee camp.

“UNHCR is deeply saddened by the death of three refugees, following the outbreak of cholera at Minawao. I present my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families,” said Olivier Beer, the UNHCR Representative in Cameroon.

A statement forwarded to our newsroom yesterday, said UNHCR is working with Yaounde, UN agencies and other partners to ensure urgent care for those who have fallen ill and to break the chain of transmission.
Cholera is transmitted through ingesting contaminated water and food.

To help contain the outbreak, UNHCR and health actors, we gathered, are training community relays on identifying and reporting suspected cases, close monitoring of contact cases, as well as disinfecting the homes of suspected cases and public spaces in the camp.

The UN Refugee Agency said efforts are also underway to urgently ramp up existing awareness campaigns about cholera and good hygiene practices in the camp.

They have however regretted that efforts to rapidly improve water, hygiene, and sanitation at Minawao are impeded by lack of resources.

Potable water sources and sanitation infrastructure, the agency said, have become insufficient for the camp's growing population which has nearly doubled from 40,000 in 2015, to its current 75,000.

The first cholera alert was issued by UNHCR’s partner for health in Minawao, the International Medical Corps, IMC, after a rapid diagnostic test on samples collected from a patient at the Integrated Health Centre came back positive on 15 October.

As of 18 October, 24 out of 39 patients were receiving treatment at health facilities in Minawao. According to medical staff handling the cases, the patients are in serious but stable condition.

Twelve people have recovered and returned home. Fresh funds are urgently needed to cover existing gaps in water, hygiene, and sanitation, and to reduce the risk of future outbreaks, the agency has said. The UNHCR operation in Cameroon is critically underfunded, with only 28 percent of financial requirements for 2022 covered.

In Minawao, UNHCR needs US$ 250,000 to increase potable water production and supply from boreholes and pumping systems from nearby rivers. Another US$ 200,000 is required to cover an existing gap of 900 latrines and to improve waste management in the
camp.

“All these needs are extremely urgent,” said the agency.

The Minawao refugee camp houses 70,000 refugees who fled from their homes due to the activities of Boko Haram terrorist group in northeastern Nigeria, according to the UNHCR.

The government of Cameroon opened the camp in 2014.