Subsequent large-scale polio immunization rounds are planned before November. The first round of vaccinations will soon be completed, targeting 1 million children. The government has already launched emergency polio vaccination activities, with support from WHO and partners. Another team is on the ground in Borno State to help with the polio outbreak response. WHO has already deployed expert staff to Nigeria for emergency operations, coordination, and data management. Nonetheless, WHO and its partners are taking immediate steps to tackle these issues head-on. Access to the 15 local government areas require military escort over long distances on poor roads. The annual wet season is also peaking and there are forecasts of major floods in the coming weeks. Insecurity is a major constraint, with a number of recent attacks on humanitarian staff by insurgents. Resources and capacities to meet the enormous health service gaps are grossly inadequate. The working environment in the affected areas is extremely challenging. WHO will work closely with local officials and specialist agencies to address the health risks posed by malnutrition, disease outbreaks, and long-term lack of access to basic health services. The immediate goal of WHO and its partners is to urgently reduce the rates of death and disease by rapidly scaling up life-saving health services. Measles cases have also been reported in the area, further complicating a challenging humanitarian environment. One of the cases is from an LGA that is still inaccessible to health service delivery, while the other is from a newly accessible LGA. In addition, Nigeria last week reported 2 polio cases in Borno state, 2 years after the last recorded case in the country. The rate of severe acute malnutrition is estimated to be 14%. Estimated mortality rates in some of the areas are 4 times higher than emergency thresholds. Initial assessments reveal urgent health problems among the population in 15 local government areas (LGAs) formerly held by insurgency groups. More than half of the health facilities in Borno State, the area most severely affected, are not functioning. WHO is scaling up its emergency response activities, together with partners, to assist hundreds of thousands of people in desperate need of health services. A WHO emergency health team arrived 19 August 2016 in Maiduguri city to assess and respond to the health needs of 800 000 people in north eastern Nigeria, formerly held by militant insurgency groups.
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