Nigeria Battles Deadly Cholera Outbreak

Nigeria is currently facing a significant outbreak of cholera, with cases reported in various states including Ogun and Katsina. The National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and other health organizations are promoting preventive measures such as safe water practices, good hygiene, and proper waste disposal. Lagos State has reported 24 fatalities due to the outbreak. The government and health agencies are urging the public to take immediate precautions to prevent further spread of the disease.

The NCDC boss stressed the need for the country to embrace the use of vaccines and other preventive measures to curb the spread of the acute diarrhoeal infection. Recall that the NCDC recently alerted the public to the increasing trend of cholera cases across the country as the rainy season intensifies. The NCDC, however, stated that a multi-sectoral National Cholera Technical Working Group, led by the centre and comprising the Federal Ministries of Environment and Water Resources, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and other partners, had been providing support to the affected states.

With the latest incidence rate from Ogun and Lagos, investigations showed that a total of 4,364 deaths had been recorded out of the 139,730 people suspected to have been infected by the disease across the country since 2021. In the latest global rate, Africa recorded the highest numbers, followed by the Eastern Mediterranean region, the region of the Americas, the South-East Asia region, and the European region.

The outbreak has prompted the Nigerian government to declare a national emergency and activate response operations to control the spread of the disease. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, or NCDC, said its decision to activate the National Cholera Emergency Operation center followed a risk assessment conducted by authorities last week. The assessment showed the country was at high risk of the disease and that the fatality rate from cholera stood at 3.5% of cases. So far, 53 people have died out of more than 1,500 recorded cases in the country.

The Minister of State for the Ministry of Environment, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, expressed deep concern over the current cholera outbreak affecting several states in Nigeria, resulting in numerous fatalities and impacting numerous communities. The Nigerian government is working with international organizations and health agencies to control the outbreak and provide assistance to affected communities.