Medical teams supported by WHO have set up mobile clinics in hard to access areas of northeastern Nigeria. The teams are called “hard-to-reach” (HTR) teams because their mission is to reach remote and insecure areas to provide urgently needed care to populations deprived of essential health services.
The 8-year conflict (Boko Haram insurgency) has caused widespread forced displacement and acute food and nutrition insecurity. Large areas of Borno, the most-affected state, remain inaccessible to humanitarian assistance, the WHO website reported.
Screening for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is one of the key activities of the HTR teams. Malnourished children are particularly vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases, like respiratory and diarrheal diseases. Children identified with SAM are referred to government- and partner-run facilities, where they can receive therapeutic feeding.
The teams also dispense medicines to treat malaria and minor ailments, as well as vitamin A supplements and de-worming tablets for children.
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