Fred Ezeh, Abuja
THE European Union (EU) says over 280, 000 children under five years of age in Sokoto and Zamfara states are suffering from severe malnutrition and other life-threatening diseases.
The EU said children in the two states are particularly vulnerable to sicknesses due to poor vaccination against common illnesses, as well as the persistent outbreak of cholera, yellow fever, measles, malaria, meningitis and other epidemics in both states.
Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management for the EU, Christos Stylianides, who disclosed this in Abuja, said Sokoto and Zamfara states violence had led to the displacement of many families, with children badly affected.
Stylianides said the agency had allocated €300 000 (about N102 million) in humanitarian aid to provide succor to the undernourished children in the two states.
The EU commissioner said the funds would allow the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to provide undernourished children and their mothers with medicines and nutritional treatment.
He also disclosed that mobile health teams would also be sent to strengthen the capacity of health workers in delivering comprehensive basic health care services, including supportive medical supervision to the affected children.