Cholera Kills 816 Nigerians In 7 Months-NCDC

No fewer  than 816 Nigerians have been killed by cholera outbreak between January till date,according  to Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The deaths were recorded from about  31,425 suspected cases reported across Nigeria since the beginning January this year

Twenty 22 states were worse hit from the epidemic outbreak, namely Benue, Delta, Zamfara, Gombe, Bayelsa, Kogi, Sokoto, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Kebbi, Cross River, Niger, Nasarawa, Jigawa, Yobe, Kwara, Enugu, Adamawa, Katsina, Borno and FCT.

According to the agency, 27 per cent of the cholera patients were between the ages of five and 14, with 51 per cent being males and 49 per cent females.

 It  observed a slight decrease in the number of new cases in the last two weeks with Bauchi recording  773 cases; Niger, 183;  Katsina, 120; and FCT at 64 accounted for 50.9 per cent of 1,941 cases reported in the last two weeks of July.

The  National Cholera Emergency Operations Centre which was activated in June 22 following significant rise in number of cholera cases had led to the deployment of Rapid Response Teams to support the most affected states.

The agency confirmed that states have been provided with commodities for case management and laboratory diagnosis, materials for risk communications, response guidelines among other support, while a reactive Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) campaign led by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) was conducted in Bauchi State in July.

 Director General, NCDC, Dr. Chike Ihekweazu, said  that none of the medical interventions would solve the underlying issues leading to cholera outbreaks.

He emphasized the need for state governments to prioritise actions for solutions that ensure access to safe water, basic sanitation and good hygiene practices in communities.