World Vision Niger reported zero child deaths in three of the last five months from its 20 area development programmes that serve 45,552 children. This new trend contrasts with the average 10 deaths per month in 2011 and five deaths per month in 2012.

Many children were regularly dying from preventable causes because they were not being taken to the hospital early enough or did not receive treatment for underlying conditions such as malnutrition, which made them vulnerable to malaria and typhoid.

This is a summary of what was said by the UNHCR spokesperson at today’s Palais des Nations press briefing in Geneva. Further information can be found on the UNHCR websites, www.unhcr.org and www.unhcr.fr, which should also be checked for regular media updates on non-briefing days.

A cholera epidemic declared by the Niger government on May 11 has left 7 people dead in the west of the country, including 2 Malian refugees.

FAITS SAILLANTS

• De nouveaux cas de choléra enregistrés à Tillabéry et Niamey, une amélioration de la desserte en eau de la ville d’Ayorou serait une piste de solution à l’épidémie
• Baisse subite des prix des céréales à Zinder
• Flambée de cas de rougeole à Zinder et Agadez

Après plusieurs mois d’extinction, l’épidémie de choléra aurait fait sa réapparition dans la région de Tillabéry où 210 cas seraient confirmés. Six personnes en seraient décédées.

Media Note, Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
May 16, 2013

NIAMEY — Niger is offering cash rewards to anyone reporting a case of Guinea worm as part of efforts to permanently eradicate the parasitic disease in the impoverished West African nation, the health ministry said.

Though it once afflicted around 3.5 million people annually across Asia and Africa, according to the U.S.-based Carter Center, Guinea worm disease is now on the verge of being eradicated worldwide.

The Global Overview collates information from a range of sources and displays it in a manner that allows for quick comparison of different humanitarian crises.

WASH

Since the beginning of the year 71,428 persons have received permanent access to an improved potable water source and 454,567 people received temporary access to potable chlorinated water. Roughly 15 per cent of the 1,222 Health centers throughout the country have a presence of WASH actors providing support for the WASH minimum package. In anticipation of the risk of cholera epidemic associated to the approaching rainy season, WASH partners have been identified in all areas (District Sanitaires) for which the risk has been identified as ‘extreme’, ‘elevated’ or ‘medium’.

• Two new wild poliovirus (WPV) cases are officially reported this week, both from Nigeria, bringing the total number of WPV cases in 2013 to 26 (compared to 53 at this time last year). Additionally, a new circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) case is reported in Pakistan. Please see country-specific sections below, for more information.