Floods in West Africa
Doctors Without Borders warn of cholera after floods in Nigeria

Heavy rains caused a dam to burst in northern Nigeria. (Archive photo from September 10). Photo
© Musa Ajit Borno/AP/dpa
Several countries in West and Central Africa are currently experiencing the worst floods in years. A particularly hard-hit city in northern Nigeria is facing further emergency.
The shelters are mostly in schools with too few latrines and a lack of clean drinking water, warns MSF. “The number of children suffering from malaria and acute watery diarrhea was already increasing before the flood, and we have seen some children with clinical signs of cholera since the flood,” said Issaley Abdel Kader, head of the MSF mission in Nigeria. We fear that the number of cases will continue to rise unless medical and humanitarian support, particularly in the areas of water, sanitation and hygiene, is increased.”
West and Central Africa are currently experiencing the annual rainy season, which has been characterized by particularly heavy rainfall this year. Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Chad have also experienced flooding. According to aid organizations, more than 4.4 million people in the six countries have been affected by flooding – more than three times as many as last year. According to the latest government figures, at least 269 people have died in Nigeria, at least 487 in Chad, at least 322 in Niger and at least 64 in Mali.