A. Situation analysis
Description of the disaster
In Nigeria, following the epidemic in 2010, which recorded 41,787 cases and 1,716 deaths attributed to cholera, there have been recurrent outbreaks every year. In 2014, there were 35,996 suspected cases and 755 deaths (Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 2.10%) reported. In 2015, 13 of 36 states have reported cases, with Anambra, Kano, Rivers and latterly Ebonyi states being the worst affected; By the end of April 2015, 2,108 cases had been reported, with 97 deaths, which though compares positively to the same period in 2014 (19,160 cases, and 22 deaths), the CFR rate has risen to 4.76%, which is an extreme concern.
On 6 March 2015, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) released CHF 175,228 from the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) respond to the needs of the affected population. The DREF operation was intended to support 15,000 people (3,000 households) in Anambra, Kano and Rivers states, with health and care, water, sanitation and hygiene promotion activities; over a period of three months. Following initial assessments,
Kano state was removed from the DREF operation, as it was confirmed that there were no cases at the time of the Emergency Plan of Action operation update Nigeria: Epidemic (Cholera) assessment and the state Ministry of Health (MoH) indicated that they did not require any preparedness or response assistance; as such it was replaced by Ebonyi state, where an increase in cases had been reported. In addition, the DREF operation had also coincided with the Presidential and Governorship elections, which has had implications for mobilization of volunteers for training due to security concerns, and thus caused delays to the implementation of the activities planned. In addition, delays in procurement have been caused by a change in the governance, which resulted in the introduction of new logistics and supply chain procedures. As of 20 May 2015, it is estimated that 40 per cent of the activities planned had been completed, and progress made in accordance with the agreed Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA) in the following areas:
Training of 30 volunteers on “Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices” (KAP) surveys; and use of the open data kit (ODK) cell phone data collection technology in the three states (10 per state).
Conduct KAP surveys using the ODK technology in Anambra, Ebonyi and Rivers states.
Training of 90 volunteers on cholera prevention and control in the Anambra, Ebonyi and Rivers states.
In total, 3,500 people approx. have been reached through household sensitizations, education and general awareness campaigns in the affected communities.
Procurement of items required for the implementation of the DREF operation (water purification tablets, water storage containers, cleaning and protective equipment) has been initiated.