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Tag: cholera outbreak

  • Cholera kills couple, 18 others in Lagos, Niger

    Cholera kills couple, 18 others in Lagos, Niger

    • Poor hygiene cause of outbreak, says minister

    Cholera outbreaks have killed 20 persons in Lagos and Niger states in the past week.

    In Lagos, a couple died on Sunday at the Isolo General Hospital, after contracting the disease.

    Mr. Emeto and his wife, Augustina, their daughter and a neighbour were allegedly rushed to the Accident and Emergency Unit of the hospital in the wee hours of Sunday.

    Besides the couple, another man and a three-year-old were said to have died aslo in Isolo area of Lagos, making four deaths.

    It was gathered that the victims started stooling, vomiting and exhibiting other symptoms after eating African salad, popularly called Abacha.

    The Nation reported yesterday that hospitals on Ago Palace Way in Okota, Isolo, and environs were overfilled with cholera patients, an upsurge that started since October 9.

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    A three-year-old died at the weekend in one of the hospitals on Ago Palace Way; a mother and her three children were also brought in unconscious to another private facility.

    All the cases, sources said, were traceable to the consumption of the staple at Cele Bus Stop in the area.

    Checks by our correspondent indicated that the Abacha seller at the bus stop had also been a contact point whenever there was a cholera outbreak in the state.

    Abacha is a local delicacy made from fermented cassava and garnished with other ingredients like oil bean seeds, palm oil, potash, and garden eggs. However, there have been concerns about the hygiene condition during its preparation and at the point of sale.

    The deaths of the Emetos, who were described as devoted Catholics, rattled fellow parishioners at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Isolo.

    The residents have been advised to steer clear of the staple.

    One of the voice notes shared by a man, identified simply as Romanus, confirmed the couple’s death.

    He said: “Around 1 a.m (on Sunday), we got a call that we lost one of our brothers (Emeto). The report was that his wife and daughter were vomiting and stooling and he took them to the hospital.

    “On getting to the hospital, he also started to stool and vomit. It was discovered that they ate Abacha on Saturday (said to have been) bought from a woman at Cele Bus Stop. The man died first and the body has been taken to the village.

    “The daughter was treated.”

    Another church member, who announced Mrs. Emeto’s death on Monday, said a neighbour who joined Mrs. Emeto in eating the staple also started to stool and vomit.

    In Niger State, 16 persons have died out of the 165 recorded cases across the state, representing nine per cent mortality rate.

    The Commissioner for Primary Healthcare, Dr. Dangana Ibrahim, announced the deaths in Minna, the state capital.

    The commissioner said 145 patients had been treated and discharged from various hospitals.

    “To prevent further spread, contingency measures have been implemented, including the distribution of essential medical supplies to affected areas and health facilities,” he said.

    Ibrahim listed affected local government areas as Paiko, Gurara, Suleja, Bosso, and Katcha, saying the disease surveillance system had been activated.

    The commissioner also said the government had begun active contact tracing and case management in all affected communities.

    Also, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, attributed poor hygiene to cholera outbreaks.

    Speaking at the Global Hand-washing Day in Abuja, the minister emphasised that inadequate sanitation and hand-washing habits put public health at serious risk.

    He said: “Hand-washing with soap remains the first line of defence against outbreaks and reducing the spread of waterborne diseases.”

    The minister called for accelerated investment in hygiene infrastructure in homes, schools, and public spaces to close existing gaps.

    According to him, better hygiene practices are essential to improving health outcomes, reducing school absenteeism, and boosting productivity.

  • Cholera outbreak: 287,708 people vaccinated in Borno – Commissioner

    Cholera outbreak: 287,708 people vaccinated in Borno – Commissioner

    The Borno Government says no fewer than 287,708 people have been vaccinated against cholera in the state.

    According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Borno State, Commissioner for Health, Prof. Baba Gana, disclosed on Friday when he officially declared a cholera outbreak in the state.

     Gana said that the immunisation that started on September 25 was 96 percent successful.

     The commissioner added that the proactive measures taken by the state and other stakeholders were responsible for the zero mortality recorded.

    “So far, no death was recorded out of the 17 confirmed cases from the most affected local government areas of Maiduguri, Jere, Mafa, Konduga, and Monguno.

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    “The state had received 300,000 doses of Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCV) from the Federal Ministry of Health, which were distributed to displaced persons camps and flood-affected communities.

    “The state is still expecting an additional 600,000 doses of OCV. However, we are still recording an increasing number of Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD), which is not unconnected with the flood devastation,” he said.

    The commissioner urged for precautionary measures by the public, particularly in areas of hygiene and sanitation.

    He charged the media to partner with the government in providing adequate awareness and preventive measures to the public.

  • JUST IN: 10 die of fresh cholera outbreak in Ebonyi

    JUST IN: 10 die of fresh cholera outbreak in Ebonyi

    No fewer than 10 persons have died in fresh outbreak of cholera in Ebonyi State. 

    The deaths were recorded in Ndibokote village in Ezza-Inyimagu, Agbaja Autonomous Community,  Izzi local government area. 

    Commissioner for Health Moses Ekuma confirmed the outbreak and the deaths in an interview with The Nation on Thursday.

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    Ekuma also revealed that over 20 other persons from the area have been hospitalised for suspected cholera infection.

    He said infected persons were rushed to three hospitals in the area by the State Government in collaboration with the Local Government and health partners.

    The hospitals include: Sudan United Mission Hospital, Onuenyim Agbaja; Sudan United Mission Hospital Izziogo and Izziogo Health Centre.

    The Commissioner blamed the outbreak on poor hygienic practices by the people. 

    He urged them to adopt good hygienic practices such as stoppage of open defecation, washing their hands regularly, covering their food and drinking clean water.

    Chairman of the council, Stephen Nwankpa thanked the State Government for swift response which he noted saved many infected persons. 

    A member of the community, Stephen Nwankpuma linked the death to the burial of a woman last weekend. 

    He said: There was a burial there last week and also there were others who went and ate dog killed in the area. People who went to the burial and those who ate the dog were the main people who first got sick.

    “Those who went to the burial ate a cow that was killed and prepared in a very dirty environment. Their community is located in the remotest part of the state. In fact it shares boundary with Benue State. 

    “There is no good source of water in the area. The only borehole in the area is no longer functional. The only source of water there now is a pond or stream and it is very dirty.

    “The situation is worsened by the heavy rain falling this period which flowed into the stream carrying all the wastes with it and probably contaminating the pond,” he said. 

    Cholera, an acute bacteria disease, that causes severe diarrhea and dehydration has been ravaging Ebonyi for decades.

  • WHO intervenes in cholera outbreak at Kirikiri prison

    WHO intervenes in cholera outbreak at Kirikiri prison

    The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday, July 1, donated pharmaceuticals to help treat and prevent the spread of a cholera outbreak at Kirikiri prison.

    Professor Akin Abayomi, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, announced the additional support while providing an update on the outbreak in the state.

    He said that the state provided intravenous fluids, infection prevention supplies, and other health consumables to Kirikiri Medium Prison.

    “Additionally, WHO has donated 10,000 doses of pharmaceuticals which have been delivered to the prison to support prison health facilities with prevention strategies for about 3,200 inmates if required.

    “Immediate water and sanitation issues have been corrected, and there are ongoing inspections of other correctional facilities in the state,” he said.

    Abayomi revealed that the cholera outbreak in Lagos was traced to unregulated street beverages and contaminated water.

    He noted a significant improvement in daily cholera cases since the spike two weeks ago, though low-grade community transmission persists with some cases still reported in hospitals.

    He said: “No new cholera-related deaths have occurred in the past 72 hours. The government is intensifying efforts to eliminate transmission, with interventions showing positive results.”

    The commissioner emphasised the importance of following public health advice, seeking prompt medical care when symptoms arise, and adhering to safety measures.

    He noted that the state government is using an interagency “One Health” approach, implementing environmental health measures with the Lagos Water Corporation and sanitation agencies.

    Read Also: Cholera outbreak: FG to collect water, food samples from endemic communities

    These measures, he said, include “widespread sanitation efforts, inspection and disinfection of boreholes, provision of safe drinking water to affected local governments, and enforcement of stricter regulations on local beverage manufacturers.

    “Henceforth and as approved by Mr Governor, a higher sanitary and regulatory standard of eateries, food handlers, beverage manufacturers and groundwater will be implemented and enforced to curb the burden of food and water-borne diseases in Lagos,” he said.

    The commissioner assured the public that there was no cause for panic and expressed confidence in the state’s ability to control the cholera spread through ongoing collaboration and vigilance from all stakeholders.

  • Cholera outbreak

    •Fatality an indication of the need to hold leaders accountable

    Daily, Nigerians are reminded that human lives amount to little or nothing. They are snatched by death for avoidable reasons because governments, over the years, failed to take necessary action. The latest evidence of such carefree attitude to matters of public health is the outbreak of cholera in 18 of the 36 states, leading to 434 deaths from 23,393 cases in the past few weeks.

    It is shameful that in this age, cholera could inflict so much fatality in a country as blessed as Nigeria. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)  have both called for urgent steps to contain the calamity. It is regrettable that governments have over the years neglected matters of hygiene. There are few public toilets, many private houses are built without toilet facilities, and water shortage is a major concern even in towns and cities, let alone the villages.

    Early this year, the United Nations Children ‘s Fund (UNICEF) came up with frightening statistics on the public health situation in the country. It was estimated that about 50 million Nigerians defecate in the open. This is said to be the case in 771 of the 774 local government areas. This ranks Nigeria second among countries where such facility is in short supply; yet no one has considered it important to check the ugly situation. Water is a rare commodity even in a city like Lagos where water demand is 540 million gallons per day, and supply is 220 million gallons, leaving a huge gap of 320 million gallons.

    This is no longer an age when hand-dug wells would be provided  by each household. This is primitive, insufficient and ultimately dangerous to the environment. It is to be noted that areas where illegal mining has been on for years are now being faced with tremors and similar disasters. Experts have warned that having too many wells could lead to such consequences in the future. Besides, the water produced from such shallow wells is bad for human consumption.

    Successive governments at the federal, state and local levels have been content with reeling out excuses when many of those who elected them are dying of a disease as preventable as cholera and associated diseases like diarrhoea and dysentery.

    Access to potable water is the sixth of the Sustainable Development Goals enunciated by the United Nations, and to which the whole world has subscribed. Next year is another General Election year. Nigerians owe it a duty to themselves and coming generations to vote for only candidates who have clear plans to tackle the menace.

    The Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, has pledged to ensure that cholera is eradicated from the land in the next five years. Such declarations had turned out to be vacuous in the past. The presidential candidates jostling for votes should be tasked to come up with facts and figures on how they intend to tackle the country’s challenges. They should tell us the cost, how they intend to tackle the issues as well as give timelines even in their first term in office. The same should apply to the states.

    In the specific case of cholera outbreak, public health education should be stepped up, with various media outreaches – traditional and modern – adopted. Nutrition and hygiene should be inculcated in the primary and secondary schools curricula. It should be realised that the students would then be useful in disseminating information on this simple, but deadly disease to the various homes.

    The governments should also note that unless abject poverty reduces in the land beyond the rhetoric of National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), squalor would remain pervasive. Cholera is here, it is time for concerted action by the governments, schools, religious bodies and the elite to embark on preventive and control measures.

  • Borno, humanitarian actors take steps against cholera outbreak

    Borno State Ministry of Health in conjunction with UN humanitarian actors and other stakeholders have taken steps to mitigate the outbreak of Cholrea in the state.

    The National Public Information Officer I UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Abiodun Banire while providing an update on the outbreak of the disease in the state in a document emailed to journalist in Maiduguri said, “Some 200 community health champions are already actively searching for cases at household level in several LGAs. In addition, radio broadcasts in English, Hausa and Kanuri are underway in the affected LGAs to sensitize people to the risk of cholera, teach them how to prevent and manage diarrhea at home, and educate them on the use of chloride tablets for household water treatment and safe water storage”.

    Read Also:Cholera: Kano confirms 28 deaths, 400 cases of Diarrhea

    Banire also disclosed that, “The State Ministry of Health, with the support of humanitarian partners, is coordinating the response to the outbreak through the Emergency Operation Centre. A Cholera Treatment Centre (CTC) is already up and running in Dala (a locality in MMC), and in Magumeri LGA an isolation space to treat cholera has been set up in an existing health facility. A CTC is urgently needed in Chibok, and additional ambulances are required in all affected LGAs to transport those seeking treatment”.

    While giving details of statistics on the number of cases in the affected areas, the document  explained that, “ 380 cases of suspected cholera in eight local government areas (LGAS) in the state, including 14 deaths, as of 5 September 2018.

    “Since the outbreak started on 19 August 2018 the following cases have been recorded: Magumeri (139); Chibok (78); Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) (67); Konduga (36); Kaga (28); Jere (18); Damboa (8) and Shani (6). The deaths are in Magumeri (4); MMC (3); Konduga (3); Chibok (3) and Kaga (1). Of the 380 cases, 250 people have already been treated, the majority with in-patient care, and discharged,” he explained.

    The statement called on people to take their personal and basic hygiene  practices very seriously like the use of safe water and proper sanitation.

    “The most effective prevention measures against cholera are basic hygiene practices, including use of clean and safe water and proper sanitation. Some 200 community health champions are already actively searching for cases at household level in several LGAs. In addition, radio broadcasts in English, Hausa and Kanuri are underway in the affected LGAs to sensitize people to the risk of cholera, teach them how to prevent and manage diarrhea at home, and educate them on the use of chloride tablets for household water treatment and safe water storage,” the statement advised.

    The statement also noted that,  “Intense efforts by national and partner response teams in Borno State over the last two years, including the development of a cholera preparedness plan in 2018, have greatly strengthened surveillance and monitoring capacity, enabling early detection of outbreaks”.

  • Death toll hits 29 in Katsina cholera outbreak

    •NGO warns against poor hygiene

    Death toll in the cholera and diarrhoea outbreaks in Katsina State has risen to 29. Of the number, 17 died of cholera.

    The state was hit on July 1.

    Commissioner for Health Hajiya Mariatu Bala Usman, who confirmed this to reporters yesterday, said the government has so far released N70 million for the control and treatment of communicable diseases such as meningitis, diarrhoea and vomiting, among others.

    She said: “We have surveillance system across the 34 councils. The disease surveillance and notification officers work directly with the Primary Health Care Development Agency responsible for managing of outbreaks like this.

    “They have been on alert since the first case was identified in Kusada. Currently, we have cases of diarrhoea and vomiting in about seven councils; 180 persons were affected by the diarrhoea and vomiting outbreak and we recorded 12 deaths.

    “Seven local governments – Funtua, Kaita, Jibia, Kankia, Ingawa, Kusada and Katsina – were affected. The government has procured emergency drugs for the 34 councils and released to the PHC for onward distribution to affected areas.

    “We are proposing to procure chlorine for the councils to safeguard their water because we realise the diseases are spread through consumption and drinking of contaminated water and foods or vegetables.”

    A Non-Governmental Organisation, NIREK NILE Foundation, has urged the people to cultivate good hygiene. It admonished them, especially those in the rural areas, to eschew poor sanitation habits like open defecation, drinking of impure and untreated water, and other bad habits, which encourage the spread of cholera and diarrhoea.

    The Chairman, Muhammad Hassan, who spoke at Bagaruwa, Mani Local Government Area, while launching a Solar Motorised Borehole sunk by the agency.

    According to him, imbibing decent health culture is a sure way of promoting efficient standard of living.

  • Update on Cholera: 10 confirmed dead in Niger

    The Council Secretary of Bida local Government Council in Niger state, Suleiman Sheshi has confirmed that 10 person’s have been confirmed dead in the outbreak of cholera in the local government council.

    He also disclosed that 60 cases have been confirmed to be recorded at the Umaru Sanda General Hospital in Bida.

    Read Also: Cholera outbreak hits Niger

    Suleiman who is also the Health Director of Bida Local government Council said he had visited some if the health centers in Bida and confirmed that the health centers also have patients with cholera.

    He however noted in dismay that there was only one medical doctor on call at the General Hospital during his visit noting that the general hospital also lacked medical consumables and adequate facilities to carter for the present health challenge.

    The Council Secretary appealed for the immediate intervention of the state government declaring that the present situation cannot be handled by the local government area alone.

    “Prompt action from your part will without any doubt, save a lot of lives presently at critical points of survival. “

  • Cholera outbreak: 42 new cases recorded in Adamawa

    Forty-two new cases have been recorded in the cholera outbreak in Adamawa State.

    Director of Public Health Dr Bwalki Dilli said the number of those infected in Mubi had increased from 134 to 176.

    Dilli told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that no other death was recorded besides the initial 12, adding that they got sufficient drugs from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF for patients at Mubi General Hospital.

    “The outbreak is still contained within Mubi North and Mubi South councils,” Dilli said.

    Chairman of Mubi North Musa Bello lauded health officials for their prompt intervention and called on the public to provide support and cooperation.

    Bello said the outbreak started following a downpour that flooded water sources, particularly wells in rural communities.

    He called for more personal and environmental hygiene, particularly stopping open defecation.

    About four persons reportedly died following the outbreak at Wailari settlement, Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State.

  • Borno confirms three dead from fresh cholera outbreak

    No fewer than three persons died in fresh cholera outbreak in Kukawa Local Government area of Borno, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Haruna Mshelia, has said.

    Mshelia made the disclosure when the Director General, World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Tedros Ghebrayesus, visited the WHO’s Emergency and Response Centre on Friday in Maiduguri.

    He said that about 700 cases of cholera were recorded in Baga, Doron Baga and Kukawa in the past weeks.

    He said that the state government in collaboration with WHO and other partner agencies had scaled up activities to combat the outbreak in the affected communities.

    Mshelia said the state government in the past six months conducted vaccination to control the disease.

    The commissioner added that the state government, with the support from WHO and other organizations, had also executed various programmes to control, hepatitis E, malaria, polio, measles, meningitis and other diseases.

    Mshelia called for closer collaboration with WHO to enhance healthcare delivery in the state.

    Read Also: Borno free of cholera outbreak – Commissioner

    Ghebrayesus assured of WHO’s commitment to contain the spread of cholera, polio and other diseases in the state.

    He said: “The current cholera outbreak was recorded in areas where vaccination was not conducted. The outbreak would be analysed to avert future ocurrence.”

    He commanded the state government for demonstrating the political will to control the outbreak and transform healthcare service delivery in the state.

    It would be recalled that 61 persons died of cholera between June and December, 2017.