Cholera has killed 816 in Nigeria since start of year: NCDC

By Ibrahim Garba Shuaibu

KANO, Nigeria (AA) - A total of 816 people in Nigeria have died from a cholera outbreak since the beginning of the year, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said Tuesday.

The NCDC said in a report that there were 31,425 suspected cases across 22 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between Jan. 1 and Aug. 1 and 311 have been confirmed.

It said the affected states are Benue, Delta, Zamfara, Gombe, Bayelsa, Kogi, Sokoto, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Kebbi, Cross River, Niger, Nasarawa, Jigawa, Yobe, Kwara, Enugu, Adamawa, Katsina, Borno and the FCT.

The agency called on state governments and citizens to take more proactive steps to combat the outbreak.

According to the NCDC, the outbreak has been exacerbated by poor access to clean water, open defecation and poor sanitation and hygiene.

Although the NCDC activated the National Cholera Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) on June 22 and has deployed rapid response teams to support the most affected states, it warned that those actions will not be enough.

“None of these medical interventions will solve the underlying issues leading to cholera outbreaks,” it said.

“Cholera is a waterborne disease, and the risk of transmission is higher when there is poor sanitation and disruption of clean water supply.”

Specifically, practices such as the improper disposal of refuse and open defecation endanger the safety of water used for drinking and personal use.

“These lead to the spread of water-borne diseases such as cholera. Without proper water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH), Nigeria remains at risk of cholera cases and deaths,” the NCDC noted.

It said that in order to address the underlying issues in the long term, there is a need for access to safe drinking water and maintenance of proper sanitation and hygiene.

“We continue to advocate for state governments to prioritize action for solutions that ensure access to and use of safe water, basic sanitation and good hygiene practices in communities,” it added.

The cholera outbreak has worsened in recent months with more states reporting deaths, adding pressure to an already stretched health sector that has been battling the COVID-19 pandemic and is currently weighed down by a strike by resident doctors which is now in its second week.

On Saturday, the Katsina State government confirmed that it had recorded over 60 cholera fatalities.

“Presently, we have over 1,400 confirmed cases of cholera with over 60 recorded deaths,” Katsina State Commissioner for Health Yakubu Danja said during the 2021 annual general meeting of the state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) held in the state capital.

The NCDC in its report advised Nigerians to visit a health facility immediately if they experience a sudden onset of profuse watery diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and weakness.

“Cholera is preventable and treatable. However, it can be deadly when people who are infected do not access care immediately,” it warned.