Adamawa IDP camps afflicted by measles outbreak

Cases of measles have been recorded in some Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Adamawa state.

Many residents of Adamawa, which is among the three worse-hit states affected by insurgency, have turned to inhabitants of IDPs after their houses were destroyed by militants in different attacks.

In an interview with NAN on Thursday, Haruna Furo, the executive secretary, Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, listed the affected camps.

According to him, the NYSC Camp at Bajabure, Girei and Malkohi camps in Girei and Yola north local government area, were those affected but he added that no life has been lost to the disease.

Furo attributed the outbreak to the daily mass movement and influx of new IDPs from Borno and Cameroon mountains into the various camps across the state.

“There is outbreak of measles not just in the IDPs camps, but also within the community,” he said.

“Not minding the fact that some of these Internally Displaced Persons came across the borders where they were into hiding for quite sometimes escaping from insurgent attacks.

“Some came down from top of mountains between Nigeria and Cameroun borders where they were trapped for two to three weeks; so these types of ailments are bound to be with them.”

He however assured the people that health officials were working hard to curtail the spread of the disease round the camps as well as the host communities.

Furo pointed out that routine immunisation days were being conducted by the primary healthcare workers, state ministry of health, NEMA, Red Cross and some other agencies.

“We have competent medical teams that are attending to all the cases,” he said.

He said that the agency was yet to ascertain the exact number of the affected persons.