Nigeria Situation Report, 17 June 2023

HIGHLIGHTS (17 Jun 2023)

• Alarming surge in malnutrition cases among children under five.
• Measles outbreak claims the lives of more than 50 children since February.
• Thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) face threat of flooding.

KEY FIGURES

6M People targeted for humanitarian aid

2.2M People internally displaced

4.24M People in need of nutrition assistance

8.3M People in need of humanitarian assistance

4.4M People in need of food security assistance

FUNDING (2023)

$1.3B Required

$329.2M Received

25% Progress

FTS: https://fts.unocha.org/appeals/1110/summary

Situation Overview

Alarming surge in malnutrition cases among children under five

Humanitarian partners are gravely concerned about the rising numbers of malnourished children in north-east Nigeria who may die if urgent treatment is not received. Across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) states, several nutrition stabilization centres (where severely malnourished children under 5 with medical complications are treated) have recorded a steady rise in malnourished children. From January to April 2023, eight stabilization centres in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Jere Local Government Area (LGA) recorded 3,155 children diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) with medical complications. Over 1,125 of these children received outpatient treatment while the rest were admitted.

In Borno State, the number of severely malnourished children with medical complications who required inpatient care between January and April 2023 increased by 61 per cent compared to the same period in 2022, according to a nutrition analysis by aid partners. In Yobe, this number increased by 22 per cent. In Adamawa, the disruption of service delivery due to the suspension of humanitarian assistance during the election period limited access to treatment services leading to a 16 per cent reduction in the number of children requiring inpatient care compared to 2022.

The nutrition crisis is worse in remote communities that are hard to reach. Nutrition surveillance data collected in April 2023 among IDPs from hard-to-reach and/or extremely hard-to-reach areas indicates that a nutrition crisis is occurring in Bama, Guzamala, Gwoza, Kukawa, Marte and Ngala LGAs.

In early May, aid organizations appealed for US$396.1 million to prevent the widespread food and nutrition crisis from deteriorating into a catastrophic situation. The $396.1 million is a prioritised part of the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for north-east Nigeria that is seeking $1.3 billion to provide lifesaving assistance to 6 million people. With the HRP only 25 per cent funded as of 14 June, additional resources are urgently required.

Measles outbreak claims the lives of more than 50 children since February

From February to May 2023 measles outbreaks attributed to the continuous influx of unvaccinated children from hard-to- reach and extremely hard-to-reach areas in north-east Nigeria claimed the lives of more than 50 children. Borno State was the most affected, recording over 5,000 suspected cases, with Jere LGA and Maiduguri Metropolitan Council recording 1,644 and 1,627 cases, respectively, by the end of May 2023. There were 917 suspected cases of measles in Yobe State, with 9 deaths from measles-related complications, and 66 suspected cases of measles reported in Adamawa State.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is working with the Borno State Ministry of Health and the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency to intensify measles surveillance and reporting and to strengthen case management in health facilities. WHO is also supporting the state government in sample collection and testing to identify and manage measles cases.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) support to the response includes an immunization campaign in seven LGAs (Biu, Jere, Konduga, Mafa, Maiduguri, Ngala, and Shani) where 90 per cent of the children under 5 identified for measles vaccination (405,381 children) were reached. UNICEF further immunized 171,400 children against measles in areas hit by the outbreak including Bama, Banki, Hajj, Muna and Shakori. UNICEF also supported the Borno State Government to preposition an additional 15,000 doses of measles vaccine for reactive vaccination in hotspots and provided vitamin A and other medical supplies to case management centres.

Aid organisations have scaled up measles awareness campaigns across the BAY states to educate communities on how to prevent the spread of the disease. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is advocating for increased support to affected IDPs and intensified infectious disease awareness and mitigation programmes.

Thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) face threat of flooding

With the start of the rainy season, aid organizations have conducted a flood mapping analysis classifying almost 80 out of the 284 camps in the north-east as vulnerable to flooding. Of these, 30 camps hosting over 340,000 IDPs are at high risk of flooding. Some 46 camps hosting more than 171,000 IDPs are at moderate risk, and three camps hosting 2,900 IDPs are at lower flood risk and prone to damage.

Funding remains the main challenge to providing at-risk populations with the necessary support. The Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM), Shelter and Non-Food Item (NFI) sectors urgently require $11 million to mitigate flooding risks for 210,000 IDPs, including through shelter support and NFIs. The CCCM and Shelter/NFI sectors were only 5per cent and 36 per cent funded, respectively, as of 12 June.

Floods are a recurrent, seasonal shock in the BAY states causing widespread destruction to shelter and livelihoods each year. Data and trends from 2021 and 2022 flooding show that approximately 5.9 million people in need live in 42 flood-prone LGAs. Among these, approximately 2.1 million people live in 11 LGAs at severe risk, 2.5 million people in 21 LGAs at major risk, and 1.2 million people in 10 LGAs exposed to moderate risk.

IDPs living in camps face the most severe consequences of flooding, especially those living in informal camps with limited drainage. Every year, floods destroy temporary shelters, food and non-food stocks, leaving households in precarious situations and exposing them to protection risks. Floods also destroy Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) facilities, such as pit latrines, further exposing residents of camps and camp-like settings to faecal matter increasing the risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera.