Cholera: Ekiti Puts Residents On Alert

Ekiti State Government has alerted residents of the state on the recent outbreak of cholera in some states of the federation.

The state Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Oyebanji Filani, who alerted the residents about the development urged the people to take precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the disease.

Filani in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti noted that Ekiti’s proximity to one of the states with a high number of reported cholera cases made the advisory in Ekiti state necessary.
The move followed the publication of the Public Health Advisory by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention which stated that a total of 1,141 suspected cases and 65 confirmed cases of cholera resulting in 30 deaths have been reported from 96 LGAs in 30 States between the 1st of January to the 11th of June 2024.

He explained that cholera is a food and water-borne disease caused by ingesting the microorganism vibrio cholerae through contaminated water and food and characterised by a sudden onset of acute watery diarrhoea that can lead to death by severe dehydration in its most severe form.

The commissioner, however, said that the cholera is preventable by ensuring access to safe and potable drinking water, maintaining proper sanitation and waste disposal practices, using hygienic and proper toilet facilities, and ensuring safe food handling, cooking and storage.

Filani who also advised residents to get vaccinated against diarrhoeal diseases, especially children. expressed the readiness of the state government to combat a cholera outbreak with no cause for residents to panic.

The state, according to him, has an operational readiness strategy based on epidemiologic data, risk assessment, and identified hotspots that can help prevent the outbreak of cholera in the State through Incident Management with functional areas and pillars.

He noted that the State has already established a Rapid Response Team at both State and Local Government levels that will efficiently search for and manage any cases of cholera.

The Health Commissioner added that a multi-sectoral approach with deliberate collaboration among various stakeholder groups is being adopted to curtail community spreading of secondary infections through contact tracing, optimal communication strategy for community engagement and mass sensitisation.

He also stressed the need for the people to ensure adherence to standard infection prevention and control measures at both community and health facility levels.