Cholera, malaria and witchcraft. Those are three reasons for an epidemic that swept the Nigerian city of Benin City this fall, the U.N. Development Programme reported last month.
Unfortunately, these were only three of many contributing factors. It was the causes of action, not just the effects, which helped make the deadly outbreaks so rampant.
Here are the main ones in brief:
Increased building in the inland city increased water flow to an urban area, changing rivers in turn, causing a 30-inch mountain of stones to cascade down on the city. At the same time, once the landslide stopped, massive blocks of sand and rocks were still piled up to the surface.
Climate change has also become a big factor in the state of Niger where Benin City is located. The International Centre for Climate Change and Development estimates that rainfall is down by 75 percent since 1950. In the affected region, when rainfall is high, dust and sand particles also flow. This makes construction sites like those on which 19,000 homes were built visible just below ground level, and causes groundwater to pour into the urban area. When this happens, water can get into the building, sometimes traveling above the ground level and settling inside.
No one is without reason to give her a stuff-up. There are witches and water moccasins, highly poisonous animals that are often heard crying over the years around Benin City. These animals are partly responsible for some of the waves of victims among these two groups. The witches, for instance, commonly believe that the town has 10 attacks every year. When they hear any noise or movement, they believe there is a potential for a snake attack, which can lead to a cryptosporidium infection. The victims are found, often clinging to life.
The water moccasins can be especially hard to escape from because they are scared of being eaten. The rodents living in low-lying areas will also often paddle out into the valley floor because it is generally easier to swim than across the raging waters.
When these three factors are considered together, they make a serious impact.