CHOLERA OUTBREAK IN NIGERIA -30 DEATHS RECORDED

Nigerians have been made aware of the rising trend in cholera infections throughout the nation as the rainy season deepens by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).

In a statement dated January 1st to June 11th, 2024, a total of 1,141 suspected and 65 confirmed cases were reported, according to Dr. Jide Idris, Director General of the NCDC. Thirty-nine LGAs across thirty states have reported thirty deaths related to cholera cases.

He added that ten states—Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa, and Lagos—had contributed ninety percent of the cholera epidemic.

According to Idris, the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Federal Ministries of Environment and Water Resources, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and other partners who have also been providing support to the affected states are part of the multi-sectoral National Cholera Technical Working Group that the NCDC is leading.

He stated that risk communication, an active case search, laboratory diagnosis, and case management were all included in the support.

The organism Vibrio cholerae, which is present in polluted
water and food, is what causes
cholera, an illness that is
spread by food and water.

According to the NCDC, cholera can be avoided by guaranteeing that people have access to clean, drinkable water; good sanitation and waste management practices; and sufficient hygiene, such as hand washing.

The Centre states that undercooked or raw seafood, as well as foods from street vendors, should be avoided. The public was informed that boiling and storing water in a clean, covered container before to consumption would lower the danger of cholera. The Centre also advises practicing proper personal hygiene by regularly washing
your hands with soap under
running water.