The conflict affected and health burdened state of Borno, Nigeria, is now reporting increasing COVID-19 cases, an outbreak which will continue to aggravate an already unimaginable situation for the people in the region and threatens to hamper all efforts at recovery from the existing health crises. In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as well as enabling health facilities to stay open to provide other life-saving services, health facilities must have means of adequate disinfection to protect patients and health care workers.
MENTOR is responding by developing and distributing a novel and innovative disinfection kit to health facilities, developed together with and generously donated by SC Johnson. The kits are made up of components proven to prevent pathogens like coronavirus, in combination with easy-to-understand pictogram instructions, which offers a rapid and innovative new mechanism for directly protecting health facility workers and patients, preventing facility closures, and saving lives both directly and indirectly from COVID-19. This combination of having approved components with pictorial instructions is highly innovative, and a first of its kind.
SC Johnson has generously donated enough kits to support 100 health facilities in Borno state for four-six months, benefiting up to 1 million people accessing health facilities across the state. This novel tool has potential to become a significant asset in disease control practices and policy both nationally and internationally.
