From Ndubuisi Orji and Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Cholera outbreak has continued to worsen with the confirmation by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) that the epidemic has spread to 33 states with 63 deaths recorded.
Its Director General, Dr. Jide Idris, at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, highlighted the obvious increment in the cases compared to the previous report released on June 24 which indicated that the epidemic was restricted to 31 states and 107 LGAs with 54 deaths.
He said 10 states, namely, Lagos, Bayelsa, Abia, Zamfara, Bauchi, Katsina, Cross River, Ebonyi, Rivers and Delta, accounted for about 90 per cent of the cases recorded so far.
He, however, confirmed that the National Cholera Multisectoral Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) has activated and engaged some experts to provide strategic coordination and also meets daily to provide periodic situation reports for stakeholders.
“This has ensured effective mobilisation, harmonisation and distribution of resources to support the affected states, and they are done through the relevant thematic areas of the response that cover coordination, surveillance, case management, infection prevention and control, risk communication and community engagement, Water Sanitation and Hygiene, Vaccination, Logistics, Research, with a costed Incidence Action Plan for the response developed and being implemented.”
He was optimistic that these will help facilitate rapid communication, data analysis, decision-making, and also ensure proper deployment of resources, strengthening surveillance and diagnostic capacity, enhancing treatment of affected persons, and intensified public awareness and community engagement activities.
The NCDC boss noted that prior to the activation of EOC, the NCDC, through the National Cholera Technical Working Group, had conducted assessment of cholera readiness and preparedness capacity in 22 hotspot and high-burden states, and reported the gaps identified to the States to guide their preparedness activities before the outbreak
He called on all stakeholders, notably, government agencies, subnational level actors, partners, civil society organisations, healthcare professionals, community leaders, and every citizen to redouble their efforts to contain the spread and prevent further loss of lives.
He also reminded health workers of the need to always practice standard safety precautions particularly the practice of wearing gloves while handling patients or providing care to an ill patient/relative, and also intensify surveillance efforts to promptly report suspected cholera cases.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has weighed in with a charge to the federal and state governments to put in place measures to contain the spread of cholera across the country.
It also mandated its Committee on Healthcare Services to urgently liaise with relevant stakeholders in the health sector to investigate the cause of cholera outbreak in the country. The committee is expected to report back to the House within two weeks for further legislative actions.
The House, while raising concerns over the outbreak of cholera, mandated its Committees on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values to embark on enlightenment of citizens on the need to maintain personal hygiene.
This followed the adoption of a motion by the Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda and two others, on the urgent need to contain the spread of cholera in Lagos State and other parts of the country.
Chinda, while leading debate on the motion, said the latest outbreak of cholera in the country, which has been confirmed by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), raised serious public health concern for the government, as well as citizens.
According to the NCDC, the disease has been reported in Lagos and 30 other states including Abia, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Cross River, Delta, Imo, Nasarawa, Katsina and Zamfara.
The lawmaker expressed concern over the rapid rate at which the disease has spread across Lagos and several other parts of the country within so short a time, especially against the backdrop of reports that the government has run out of vaccines to effectively tackle it, even as the death toll continues to escalate in those states.
“There is an urgent need for quick action/intervention by the federal and respective state governments to curb the disease from further spread across the country,” he said.
He said except urgent and proactive measures are put in place to check its spread, it would spread to several other places and possibly escalate than imagined and this would not be good for the health of the citizenry and the country at large.
