.NCDC alerts on increasing outbreak of disease
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has recorded 1,141 suspected cases of cholera, 65 confirmed cases, and 30 deaths across 96 local councils in 30 states from January 1 to June 11, 2024.
Consequently, the centre has issued public health advisory alerting the public on the increasing cholera cases across the country as the rainy season intensifies.
In a public advisory, yesterday, in Abuja, the NCDC noted that 10 states of Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa and Lagos states contribute 90 per cent to the burden of cholera in the country.
It stated that the multi-sectoral National Cholera Technical Working Group, which it is leading and comprising the Federal Ministries of Environment and Water Resources, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other partners, has been providing support to the affected states.
It observed that the support includes 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 English and local languages.
The centre urged state governments to prioritise action for solutions that ensure access to and use of safe water, basic sanitation and proper hygiene practices in communities.
Cholera, NCDC noted, is a food and water-borne disease caused by the ingestion of the organism, vibrio cholerae, in contaminated water and food.
It stated, “Water is usually contaminated by the faeces of infected individuals. Contamination of drinking water can occur at the source, during transportation or storage at home. Food may be contaminated by soiled hands, either during preparation or while eating.”
At-risk populations, it added, include those with limited access to clean water, poor sanitation and hygiene, consumers of potentially contaminated food or fruits without proper washing and cooking, as well as healthcare workers providing direct patient care without standard precautions.
“Symptoms of cholera include acute profuse, painless watery diarrhoea (rice water stools) of sudden onset, with or without vomiting and it may be associated with nausea, profuse vomiting and fever. Severe cases can lead to death within hours due to dehydration (massive body fluid loss),” the centre explained.
NCDC, however, pointed out that most infected people (about 80 per cent) may only show mild symptoms or have no symptoms at all.
It warned that the best prevention for cholera was ensuring access to safe, potable water, proper sanitation and waste disposal, and appropriate hygiene including handwashing, while raw fruits and vegetables, food from street vendors and raw or undercooked seafood should be avoided.
