The Federal Government has instructed the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Disease Control (RCDC) to release an emergency response team to Borno State following reports that about eight children might die daily as a result of malnutrition in the state.
The directive was given to the Acting Executive Director of the centre, Prof. Abdulsalami Nasidi, by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, at the inaugural meeting of the governing board of the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Disease Control (RCDC) in Abuja.
According to the minister,
The Federal Government had declared a nutritional emergency in Borno State to save children and assisting them was the first task of the governing board.
Also, the decision to establish the centre was reached following the impact of the Ebola outbreak which exposed the weakness in the health system and unpreparedness to respond to other serious health security threats.
Many of the children are hospitalized for severe malnutrition after being rescued from Boko Haram captivity, according to reports: with many categorized as malnourished.
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