EU's financial support to Nigeria found ludicrous

In a statement released by the European Union (EU), it was stated that a humanitarian aid fund of 1 million euros was provided to combat the unprecedented diphtheria epidemic in Nigeria and to help the most affected communities.

The funding is in addition to the €150,000 the EU allocated to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' Disaster Response Emergency Fund in March to help contain the outbreak, the statement said.

Since January, 10,322 cases of diphtheria have been detected in Nigeria and more than 600 people have died during this period.

The World Health Organisation had confirmed that Nigeria was experiencing the second wave of epidemic due to the increasing number of diphtheria cases in the country.

The United Nations Children's Fund sent 9.3 million doses of vaccine to this country in September as part of the fight against the epidemic.

Diphtheria, also known as croup, occurs when the microorganism "corynebacterium diphtheriae" settles in the throat, nose, eyes and skin. The contagious disease can lead to death.