World Health Organisation (WHO) has distributed 60 Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) kits components to six partnering non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Borno state Thursday for management of severe acute malnutrition in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states which was observed by WHO to be on Tue high side.
The WHO Emergency Manager in charge of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, Beatrice Muraguri, disclosed this to newsmen in Maiduguri during the distribution of the items to the partners at Borno warehouse located at Maiduguri Flour Mills Limited area, Thursday.
According to her, 11 local government areas of Borno state are affected out of the 27 LGs namely; MMC, Jere, Bama, Konduga, Gwoza, Askira/Uba, Monguno, Damboa, Gunio, Mobbar and Kaga, where in collaboration with the 6 partners, a SAM kit will be administered to 100 children totalling 6000 kids suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
She added that the SAM kits were procured or funded by USAID and the German government for WHO to distribute to the partners namely, FHI360, Intersos, IMC, IRC, Action Against Hunger and PUI.
Beatrice maintained that “WHO is however coordinating all the partners who are responding in health and malnutrition, which has been part of our response, not just malnutrition, but severe acute malnutrition.
“For WHO, we take it up when moderate malnutrition. Acute malnutrition is responded to by WFP. UNICEF also responds to severe acute malnutrition but when it comes to the admission of these patients, that is where WHO comes in and we have to ensure that these partners that we have , have the capacity to manage the cases, not just that.
Earlier, Permanent Secretary, Borno state Ministry of Health, Mohammed Aminu Ghuluze, appreciated WHO for their donation and commended the partners for administering the severe acute malnutrition kits while assuring proper and strict monitoring of the usage and distribution of the kits to avoid diversion and sales.
Represented by Pharm Adamu Usman of the state ministry of health, he said measures had been put in place to ensure judicious use of the kits who are the beneficiaries while stressing that, anybody found wanting will be dealt accordingly.
