By Pamela Eboh
Following the flood disaster that ravaged Ogbaru community in Anambra State, a Cholera outbreak has hit Umuzu community.
So far, three adults and thirteen children were on Monday confirmed to have contacted cholera in the area where the perennial flooding has submerged the community.
Also, about two hundred families are said to be missing.
When contacted with a text message, the Commissioner for Health Dr Afam Obidike failed to speak on the development and calls to his phone was not picked.
However, Obidike had earlier told journalists that the state government has put in place a medical team that frequents all the communities affected by the flood, saying that the health team have been working with the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA and the State Emergency Management Agency SEMA to provide medical services to the victims.
But on the part of the President, Children Of Farmers Club, a Non Governmental Organization ,NGO, Prince Chris Okwuosa, there has not been any presence of the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA in the town.
He said, “The few persons found to be taking refuge at a school hall depend on the flood water which they managed to boil for drinking.
“Umuzu is my community and what is happening here is that about two hundred families cannot be found and infact we will soon declare them missing in the flood .
“We have not seen any government presence since the flood came and the community health center here has no medical personnel or facilities before the flood came.
“We rely on one young man that runs a chemist shop here and his shop have been taken over by the flood.
“Umuzu is the last community to be submerged by the flood and after us we have Oseakwa community and down to Oguta in Imo state.
While noting that there is an outbreak of cholera in his community, he added, “About thirteen children have contacted it as well as two or three adults because we don’t have drinking water but all we do is to boil the flood water for drinking”.
Speaking to journalists, the President General of Umuzu community, Mr Cyprian Ezekwesili said that the only way of accessing Umuzu community at the moment is to go through Okija community in Ihiala local government area of the state or through a canoe.
“How can you go there from Ogbaru local government area? You only need to go there through Okija town and that is Ihiala local government area.
“Then when you get there you will first start looking for your relatives because you don’t even know where they are staying and some of them their phones are off because there is no access to electricity”, he stated
Ezekwesili however noted that their kit and kin doing business outside Anambra state have been making free will donations for the purchase of relief materials and food items.
He said that so far about five hundred thousand naira has been raised.
