Frontline Medics Applauded For Reducing Cholera Impact In Zamfara

The Secretary to the Zamfara State Government (SSG), Malam Abubakar Nakwada, has commended the State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC), frontline health workers, and partners for achieving a significantly low cholera fatality rate in the state.

The SSG met with the PHEOC, led by the Commissioner for Health, Dr Nafisa Muhammad Maradun, on Friday to review the status of the cholera outbreak in the state.

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant (Media) to the SSG, Suleman Ahmad Tudu, said that during the strategic meeting, the State Epidemiologist and leader of the PHEOC, Dr Ahmad Muhammad Gusau, presented an elaborate update highlighting the trends of the outbreak across the 14 local government areas over the past 39 epi-weeks.

The data presented revealed that despite recording a high number of suspected cholera cases, Zamfara State has managed to keep its fatality rate below the national average. With 179 deaths out of 12,052 suspected cases, the state’s cholera fatality rate stands at 1.4 per cent. Comparatively, as of September 2025 (epi-week 39), the cumulative national case fatality ratio was 3.3 per cent, based on data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).

According to him, this milestone is largely attributed to the effective case management strategies deployed by the State Government in collaboration with partners and stakeholders.

These measures include the activation of Rapid Response Teams (RRTs), active surveillance, establishment of Cholera Treatment Centres (CTCs), and Oral Rehydration Points (ORPs) across the state, among other critical interventions.

While commending the PHEOC, frontline health workers, and other stakeholders for their dedication, the SSG urged them to intensify their efforts to contain the outbreak, lamenting that every data point represents a life at risk or lost to the infection threatening the state and the country at large.

Malam Nakwada also reaffirmed the commitment of the Zamfara State Government under Governor Dauda Lawal to implementing more effective preparedness and response mechanisms to mitigate future outbreaks.

Earlier, the partners commended the State Government for the prompt payment of counterpart funding, provision of potable drinking water, and the general strengthening of the state’s healthcare system.