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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed 30 deaths from cholera in 2024.
In a statement, yesterday, it said 1,141 suspected cases were recorded out of which 65 were confirmed from 96 LGAs in 30 states between January 1 and June 11.
It listed the 10 states that contributed 90 per to the burden of cholera to include Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa and Lagos States.
Director General of NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, in the statement, noted that multi-sectoral National Cholera Technical Working Group led by the NCDC and comprising the Federal Ministries of Environment and Water Resources; the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA); the World Health Organization (WHO); United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and other partners, has been providing support to the affected states.
He explained that the supports were in the form of risk communication, active case search, laboratory diagnosis, case management, provision of response commodities, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions, and dissemination of Cholera awareness jingles in both English and local languages.
He explained that cholera is a food and water-borne disease, caused by the ingestion of the organism Vibrio Cholerae in contaminated water and food.
“Water is usually contaminated by the faeces of infected individuals. Contamination of drinking water can occur at the source, during transportation, or during storage at home. Food may be contaminated by soiled hands, either during preparation or while eating.Beverages prepared with contaminated water and sold by street vendors, ice, and even commercial bottled water have been implicated as vehicles of transmission, as have cooked vegetables and fruits freshened with untreated wastewater.
“The time between infection and the appearance of symptoms is two hours to five days. It has a higher risk of transmission in areas that lack adequate sanitation facilities and/or a regular supply of clean water. Unsafe practices such as improper disposal of refuse and open defecation endanger the safety of water used for drinking and personal use.”
