Cholera: Nigeria Records 2,102 Cases, 63 Deaths In 33 States

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said that 2,102 suspected cases of cholera and 63 deaths have been recorded across 33 States and 122 LGAs in the country.

The director-general of NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, who disclosed this at a media conference on cholera outbreak response update yesterday in Abuja, said Bayelsa, Abia, Zamfara, Bauchi, Katsina, Cross River, Ebonyi, Rivers and Delta are among the 10 top states that contribute about 90 percent of the cases.

The DG identified inadequate toilet facilities, poor sanitation and inadequate safe water as factors militating against cholera eradication in the country.

He said, “Only 123 (16%) of 774 LGAs in Nigeria are open defecation-free, with Jigawa being the only open defecation-free state in Nigeria. More than 48 million Nigerians practice open defecation.

“Inadequate toilet facilities and existing ones, even in many government facilities, not well maintained. Inadequate Safe water and poor sanitation: 11 percent of schools, six percent of health facilities, four percent of motor parks and markets have access to basic water, sanitation and hygiene services.”

Idris also listed poor waste management practices, poor food, environmental, and personal hygiene practices, and a capacity gap among healthcare workers at the state and LGA levels as challenges.

However, he said the recently activated National Cholera Multisectoral Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) is providing strategic coordination.

He said this is done through the relevant thematic areas of response, which cover coordination, surveillance, case management, infection prevention and control, risk communication, and community engagement.

Others are water sanitation and hygiene, vaccination, logistics, and research, with a costed incidence action plan for the response being developed and implemented.

Idris said these will help facilitate rapid communication, data analysis, and decision-making.