Nigeria: Early health preparedness protects families during seasonal floods in Adamawa State

In flood-prone Adamawa State, north-east Nigeria, early health preparedness helped protect thousands of vulnerable people from preventable disease outbreaks during the 2025 rainy season.

Through a government-led intervention coordinated by the Adamawa State Ministry of Health (SMOH) with technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO), health teams were deployed ahead of peak flooding in seven high-risk local government areas: Yola South, Yola North, Numan, Girei, Lamurde, Fufore and Demsa.

The actions were funded by the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the Government and People of Japan. The anticipatory response focused on preventing malaria, cholera and other flood-related diseases, while ensuring continuity of essential health services for displaced and vulnerable populations.

Reaching communities before the floods

In Fadde Gassol, Yola South, 25-year-old pregnant Aisha Bello received a long-lasting insecticidal net (LLIN), malaria prevention, and antenatal care from a WHO/CERF-supported mobile health team.

“The medical team came before the floods became worse,” she said. “This prepared me to stay healthy and deliver my baby safely.”
Her experience reflects the broader impact of early action across affected communities.

Life-saving results

As flooding disrupted access to several settlements, health teams delivered integrated services, including malaria and acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) management, maternal and child health care, routine immunisation, nutrition screening, mental health support, hygiene promotion and referrals for gender-based violence services.

With CERF and Government of Japan funding, and WHO technical support:
•    5000 LLINs were distributed to high-risk households to prevent malaria.
•    3000 pregnant women accessed antenatal care, with hundreds receiving intermittent preventive treatment for malaria.
•    Three Oral Rehydration Points (ORPs) and three Cholera Treatment Centres (CTCs) were established to ensure rapid cholera response.
•    250 sanitation facilities were disinfected, and key water sources chlorinated to reduce cholera transmission.
•    Thousands of people received cholera and hygiene prevention messages.
•    Hundreds of displaced households received WASH dignity kits to support safe sanitation and hygiene practices.

“We crossed flooded paths to reach communities that had not seen a health worker in weeks,” said Fatima Musa, a frontline health worker. “Despite the difficulties, communities welcomed us and trusted our support.”

Strengthening local preparedness

WHO also supported state-level emergency preparedness, especially for cholera, through:
•    Prepositioning of emergency medical supplies
•    Training of frontline health workers
•    Strengthening disease surveillance and early warning systems
•    Supporting coordination through the Adamawa State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC)
“CERF and Japan’s support enabled us to move before the crisis peaked,” said Dr Abdulhakeem Yusuf, WHO Adamawa State Coordinator. “This prevented outbreaks, reduced suffering and protected the most vulnerable, especially women and children.”

Strong coordination through PHEOC

Coordination for flood preparedness and response was conducted through the Adamawa State PHEOC, bringing together key partners including WHO, OCHA, UNFPA, SEMA, the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and local humanitarian organisations.

“Strong coordination helped us move early and reach more people before needs escalated,” said Momsiri Wesley Biyama, Head of OCHA Sub-Office in Adamawa.
Huzaifatu Mohammed, Adamawa Branch Secretary of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, added:
“Our volunteers worked alongside health teams in difficult terrain. Through the PHEOC coordination mechanism, services reached communities that would otherwise have been cut off.”

Sustaining the gains

Despite the progress, recurring floods driven by climate change continue to pose risks. Additional investments are needed to expand anticipatory action, strengthen surveillance, improve WASH infrastructure and reach more remote communities.

WHO, the Adamawa State Government and partners remain committed to sustaining and scaling these interventions ahead of future flood seasons to protect lives and strengthen community resilience.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Nigeria.