No fewer than 42 people died from cholera outbreak and 2,874 others hospitalised in Bauchi State in 2022.
This was revealed by the programme manager of the Women Development Association for Self-Sustenance (WODASS), Mr Sukumun Ezekiel at a meeting of the Bauchi State Emirate Council on Health.
He said the disease killed 42 persons out of the 2,874 that were hospitalised with Bauchi local government area having the highest number of casualties and 77 percent of the cases.
Ezekiel said Toro council recorded 212 cholera cases during the period while Dass and Tafawa local government areas had about 100 cases each.
He said with the exception of Bogoro, 19 out of Bauchi’s 20 LGAs recorded cholera cases.
Ezekiel who said cholera has been on the rise nationwide since the beginning of the year, with 74 deaths reported so far by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), said children below five years were the most affected by the life-threatening waterborne disease which thrives in places with poor hygiene and sanitation.
He said beyond the health implications, cholera also has socio-economic impact, affecting productivity, work-related activities and income.
To curb the cholera outbreak, he called for hygiene education to be widened.
Ezekiel further explained that hygiene education should focus on key
behaviours such as respiratory hygiene, hand washing, physical
distancing, safe excreta disposal, water storage and COVID-19 vaccine
uptake.
He also called for the routine provision of sustainable water,
sanitation and hygiene interventions in communities and LGAs with poor
access, especially those with endemic trends
