37-year-old Lawan Mamman thought he was breathing his last on the night of 30th September when he felt the most excruciating stomach ache he had ever experienced in his life. Alongside the stomach ache came nausea and dizziness which rendered him unconscious, and he was rushed to the nearby ALIMA health facility by his neighbor and friend.
Lawan, a butcher by trade, was not typically sick. He lived a healthy and comfortable life with his wife and 7 children in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state in Northeast Nigeria. A native of Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno state, the tricenarian moved to Maiduguri with his family when he was 7 years old. His business earned him a decent living until the 10th of September 2024 when all he had worked for literally drowned before his eyes, igniting a chain of events that would climax with him at the ALIMA Cholera Treatment Center. On that night, Borno state witnessed the worst flood it had seen in 30 years affecting 414,176 people with 389,267 displaced and 7,155 houses damaged, according to the National Emergency Management Agency, (NEMA). Goni Kachallari, the community he lived in, was one of the worst hit.
Lawan had to act swiftly, first relocating his family to an area that was not affected by the flood for their safety then evacuating as much of their property as he could salvage. In a bid to ensure the safety of what was left of their household items, Lawan spent 5 nights keeping guard in a nearby tree to forestall burglary and vandalism.
“So, in as much as I would go and visit with my family during the day, at night I always came back to keep watch over our home and property. I spent the days after the floods wading through the water trying to salvage what I could of our property, and at nightfall I would climb the nearby tree to rest while I watched over the house the whole night. At this point the flood was chest level.”
It was weeks after the flood waters receded that Lawan took ill after ingesting contaminated water.
“At the health facility, by the time I had gone through the first line of treatment and consultation with the ALIMA medical team, they had diagnosed me with cholera. Had ALIMA not set up the Cholera Treatment Centre here, I shudder to think of what my fate would have been,” Lawan said. He noted that the facility being in the community made it easily accessible by community members which was a saving grace for him as his condition may have worsened if he had had to travel a long distance to access medical care.
Free quality healthcare within reach for people in Muna
Currently Funded by the European Union Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), the Muna Clinic established by ALIMA in 2016 in Jere Local Government Area, Maiduguri, Borno state is located in the heart of Muna community. Due to its proximity to the surrounding community, the clinic is able to respond to cases like Lawan’s appropriately and on time, without patients having to spend time and money travelling long distances. Patients from the nearby unofficial camp for displaced persons and host community go to the Muna clinic for nutrition and maternal healthcare which are routine services provided at the clinic.
The ALIMA operated Cholera Treatment Centre (CTC) at the clinic started operations on the 8th of October following the declaration of an outbreak by the state government. This facility is vital because in that axis, it is the only facility currently responding to cholera. ALIMA first established a 30-bed CTC and as the trend went up, it was extended to 50 beds so as to sufficiently treat affected patients. Personnel composed of Ministry of Health Staff and ALIMA specialists were developed and trained by ALIMA in proper and effective management of cholera patients.
So far, 422 cholera patients have been treated at the CTC, 409 were cured and discharged, 5 deaths were recorded and 8 are currently on admission at the facility.
Lawan describes his experience at the ALIMA facility; “ I was admitted for 4 days, and on the 5th day I was discharged and I walked out of there healthy and strong”.
From patient to advocate
Lawan says he has gained knowledge in preventive measures and is confident he would never suffer from cholera again. “The ALIMA team has come to Goni Kachallari three times to check on the progress of my health and also to support me and members of this community with information sessions on preventive measures. They taught us how to maintain proper hygiene, how to keep our surroundings clean, handwashing techniques, how to prevent our food from contamination, they also gave us some chemicals to treat our drinking water. When we go out and come back, we must wash our hands. I have been following the procedures I was taught and I have also been sensitizing my neighbors on how to prevent cholera.”
