Delivering lifesaving health services for flood-displaced families in Nigeria

Borno state, in northeastern Nigeria, has been severely impacted by recent floods, which have displaced more than 400 000 people and led to 37 deaths. The flooding, mostly affecting the municipal area of Maiduguri, the state’s capital, has also caused significant damage to agricultural land and infrastructure, including health facilities. Almost 90 000 vulnerable people have been forced to take shelter in temporary camps with limited access to food, clean water and health services.

Displaced populations are at especially high risk from malnutrition, and diseases such as cholera, malaria and measles, in a region where already fragile health systems are under considerable additional strain.

Aisha Mafa, a mother of five, relocated to Gubio camp on the outskirts of Maiduguri, after floods displaced her family from their home in Old Maiduguri district in September 2024. Soon afterwards, one of her children fell ill with a high fever. “My friends advised me to take him to the clinic at the camp, where services were free,” Mafa recalls.

Recognizing the urgent health needs of displaced people, World Health Organization (WHO), with financial support from USAID and the Government of Germany, deployed five mobile health teams comprising 35 public health experts, to assist local health authorities in Gubio, as well as four other temporary camps in Maiduguri municipal area.

The health workers quickly diagnosed Mafa’s son with malaria and provided treatment. Within days, his condition has improved. “Without the health workers, I don’t know what would have happened to my son,” Mafa says. “I take comfort to know that my children and I can get free health services here.”

“Since we started, we’ve treated around 9000 people,” says Martha Sini, the Local Government Area Facilitator for the mobile health team in Gubio camp, which is currently home to more than 36 000 displaced people. “Routine immunization, maternal care and clinical services are vital for protecting the health of the community, especially women and children.”

Children in temporary camps like Gubio are at particularly high risk from vaccine-preventable diseases. To address this, mobile health teams have conducted regular vaccination drives, reaching over 12 300 children since the start of the floods in mid-September 2024. Vaccines include those recommended in the current state routine immunization schedule and coverage includes children who have missed doses because of being displaced.

Such efforts have been integrated into the state government’s existing cholera, measles and vitamin A vaccination campaigns, ensuring more comprehensive protection for these vulnerable populations.

Maternal health is another key focus for the mobile health teams. In Gubio camp’s two-room clinic, health teams provide prenatal check-ups, postpartum care, routine immunization and nutritional support to pregnant women while educating them on the importance of skilled birth attendance. Since the start of the floods, these services have been integral to helping to ensure safe pregnancies and deliveries for over 20 000 displaced women in the absence of hospital access.

Huawa Ali, who is seven months pregnant and was displaced by the floods from her home in the Gwange district of Maiduguri, is one of the many health clients to visit the antenatal clinic. “I am so grateful for this care. Without it, I wouldn’t have known if my baby was safe. Now, I feel more confident about my pregnancy,” she says.

Beyond immediate medical care, WHO also supports Borno state in enhancing surveillance activities. Over 150 community health volunteers have been deployed to conduct active case finding for priority diseases and house-to-house sensitization to improve health-seeking behaviour within the camps and host communities.

So far, 34 camps and over 93 000 households have been reached and sensitized on preventive measures for epidemic-prone diseases and good household practices.

“For the families in temporary camps, the presence of our mobile health teams offers more than just medical care, it provides hope for a healthier future, for their children’s well-being, and hope that they will overcome the challenges of displacement,” says Dr Walter Mulombo, WHO Representative for Nigeria.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Nigeria.