The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Cholera

  • Cholera kills 20 in Rivers community

    … 171 cases recorded

    At least 20 persons have been reported dead from acute diarrheal disease in a community in Adoni local government area of Rivers State.

    The state’s commissioner for Health, Sampsom Parker, confirmed the situation in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on Wednesday.

    According to him, a total of about 171 cases have also been recorded following the January 5 outbreak of cholera in the area.

    The commissioner, who assured members of the public of government’s determination to curtail the spread of the disease, noted that two treatment centres have been set up in two of the worst hit communities.

    Cholera (gastroenteritis), according to research is caused by an infection in the intestinal wall and can kill even a healthy adult within a short period.

    Symptoms, including severe diarrhea, can surface within two hours or up to five days after infection, and can then trigger extreme dehydration and kidney failure.

     

  • Cholera kills 70 displaced persons

    Cholera kills 70 displaced persons

    More than 70 Tiv victims of Fulani attacks are said to have died in the internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State from measles and cholera epidemic. The camp spokesman, Emmanuel Kegh, told reporters that the outbreak resulted from the unkempt condition of the camp. He also expressed fears of possible outbreak of the Ebola virus disease if the camp’s sanitary state deteriorated further.

    Some eyewitnesses revealed that most of the deceased died because of unbearable suffering.

    Of the dead, 50 are children.

    The lives of 13 women who were delivered of their babies, including their children, are said to be in danger.

    Many of the children appear malnourished. They were hungry and needed food and medical care. The mothers equally needed not just food but balanced diet in order to regain strength and breastfeed their children. But where is the food? The displaced persons are really starving.

    So, besides the killer diseases, the camp spokesman said, the people could “easily die” due to lack of food, medicare and shelter. A cursory look at the people revealed that most of them are physically and psychologically traumatised.

    Fate has been cruel to the Tiv people of Taraba State. They have been killed in thousands and injured in hundreds of thousands in Ibi, Wukari, Gassol, Gashaka and Bali local government areas by their Fulani neighbours.

    Their farmers are the worst hit by persistent attacks by the Fulani marauders. The Tiv people, in their hundreds of thousands, have been chased out of their homes and their homes and farmlands destroyed by their attackers.

    In the camp, the victims cut the picture of people emotionally wrecked and dehumanised.

    “But it was not their fault that they were quartered in parts of Taraba State. Like every other people, they came from somewhere to settle there,” an observer said.

    The traditional ruler of the Tiv community in Bali, Chief David Gbaar, told reporters at the camp that the death toll may increase if nothing is done urgently. He said: “Our people have continued to die in the camp because the state government has not come to our aid. Life here has been painful and horrible.”

    From all indications, peace is still elusive in Bali and other parts of Taraba State where members of Tiv communities are found.

    Our correspondent gathered that despite government’s pleas for peace, Fulani herdsmen were still killing and maiming Tiv people in the rural areas.

    Security operatives are seen patrolling the troubled towns in Hilux pick-up vans provided by the Acting Governor, Garba Umar, even as Fulani hostilities against Tiv communities have continued unchecked in the remote settlements.

    One of the elderly displaced persons in the camp, Mr. Samson Augustine said they want to return to their homes but their houses had either been burnt or occupied by Fulani herdsmen, adding that their attackers were still on the prowl to launch further attacks on them. It was pathetic listening to his story as he sounded emotionally and physically ruined.

    In an emotion-laden voice, Augustine said: “The police are not doing what is expected of them. Apart from killing our people, the Fulani have taken over our houses and our farmlands. Their cows are now grazing on our farm crops and the government is not able to stop them.”

    Chief Gbaar said in Bali alone, 126,000 Tiv people have been displaced. He added that those in the camp were still there because they do not know or have anywhere to go.

    The Chairman of Bali Local Government Area, Andy Yerima, confirmed reports of the outbreak of diseases in the camp and the loss of “several lives.”

    He said his efforts in procuring drugs for the displaced people have saved the lives of many Tiv in the camp.

    Yerima noted that the state government alone cannot shoulder the responsibilities of providing for the people in the camp. He urged the Federal Government to complement the efforts of the state government by making available adequate relief materials for the persons in the IDPs camp.

  • ‘Our Girls’; Lessons from Ebola: Wanted- ‘A UN Declaration on Expanded Role Of Media In Ignorance Elimination?’

    ‘Our Girls’; Lessons from Ebola: Wanted- ‘A UN Declaration on Expanded Role Of Media In Ignorance Elimination?’

    Our Girls’ are still in captivity since April 15.

    Cholera has just killed 16 Nigerians, more than the ‘deadly’ Ebola. ‘Boko Haram, Typhoid and Delivery’, having a baby, each kill thousands annually. Fortunately, Cholera and Typhoid will be reduced by the hand washing and hygiene and reduced contact strategies against Ebola. As we look to ‘Life after Ebola’ as it winds down in Nigeria hopefully, we commemorate the dedicated and courageous Dr Ameyo Adadevoh and prayerfully remember all other professional victims.

    What is Nigeria’s ‘Post Ebola Preventive Medicine Policy/Strategy’ at government, ministry of information/health and media levels? Nigeria needs larger ‘Medical Research Council Funding’. Google South Africa’s Medical Research Council. If not, all will go quiet until the next crisis while the internationally donated money, $200m, disappears like the military budget. Language and Communication Arts and Social Science departments in universities must study the role of the media in the Ebola episode. The importance of the media has come to the fore. Nigerians swim in a sea of ‘IGNORANCE’ about things that will keep them alive while being overloaded with adverts ‘educating’ them about products they can survive without. Ebola taught us to share ‘Life Skill Information’.

    It has come to pass. What? The massive media participation in preventive medicine involving government and private sector corporate adverts along with the engagement of officials and celebrities. For me this is long awaited triumph and a vindication of the position of Educare Trust on the media! So much airtime is wasted daily. The media has been woken to its responsibility to ‘Educate and Inform’ and become unselfish, helping to keep Nigerians informed and alive through ‘Ebola Info’. Usually the media only ‘advertises’ prepaid products, not ‘unsponsored’ messages. The world needs a plan of action towards ‘Ignorance Elimination’ – a greater killer than Ebola!  What we have been preaching as a ‘Public And Private Media Policy And Strategy’ for 20 years has come to pass but it must not pass away with Ebola, only to be revived for ‘Alobe’. Education must be continuous to fight the contagious.

    Our people suffer from a disease ‘IGNORANCE’, ‘Ignorance About Life Skills’. Ignorance is not the preserve of the uneducated. The educated are also ignorant. These ‘Life Skills’ are not taught in schools or out of school. Only the media parts, the electronic, print and advertising, are equipped to ‘Eliminate Ignorance’ in our citizenry. Before Ebola, the media was negligent and selfish in executing that responsibility and ignorance has spread like Ebola. The media elements face a negligence charge for only doing things for money under the ‘increase internally generated revenue’ order. For example Cholera and Typhoid kills thousands more than Ebola but when last did you see or hear any message/ advert about preventing Cholera or Typhoid? We like the sensational or terrifying and ignore the routine. But dealing with the routine with strategies like hand washing and sanitation, should prevent the sensational, like Ebola.

    Just as for Ebola, so for the media. The media needs to be taught or ordered to use its power to eliminate the disease ignorance by allocating a specific quantity of airtime or page space for ‘free’  ‘LIFE SKILL MESSAGES’ to keep its customers alive to consume more. There is also a ‘secret message weapon’ that is little used but gets into every home and office, rich and poor. It is the $500 billion corporate advertising space on billions of items moved in packaging and adverts governed by advertising gurus. Criticise every empty space on a bottle, bag, and box as being wasted and can be used in the ‘Ignorance Elimination War’. That space can be offered by the corporate world to WHO, UNICEF for the top 100 life skill messages and to local advert needs, at no extra charge. Such messages can be on anything from bullying, sexual violence to healthy eating. This Ebola epidemic forces us to demand that the UN, WHO etcetera, partner with the corporate world for joint messaging through a ‘New World Order In The Media’. ‘Life Skill Messaging’ on corporate advertising on products and product packaging will prevent citizens dying from ignorance and keep them alive to buy products longer.

    We want A UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE EXPANDED ROLE OF THE MEDIA in the 21st Century as follows:

    ‘We the People of the World need

    A UN World Media Social Responsibility Law for every media outlet to ‘include in every 24 hours of broadcasting 15 minutes up to one FREE HOUR of 15-120  messages of 30-60 seconds each per day on chosen Social Life Skill Messages to bring about behavioural change in society’. The UN should recommend this LAW to the world

    A ‘PRINT MEDIA SOCIAL MESSAGE LAW’ mandating that every company should also ‘INCLUDE A SOCIAL/MEDICAL MESSAGE IN EVERY SINGLE ADVERT’ in the media –on air, in the press, posters and billboards, packaging.

    Competitive Awards For The Best Corporate/Media Social Life-skill Message Partnership under the slogan –‘Helping Keep Citizens Alive’ at all the different International and National Annual Media, Advertising and CSR Awards and film and TV and cartoon Awards worldwide.

    The UN should convene a Meeting of the Global Fund and include Corporate Giants and Advertising Agency Gurus to kick-start this new initiative that Ebola has exposed as necessary and present to the world the annual top 100 Life Saving Messages for the media and advertisers to use.

     

  • 20 dead in fresh cholera outbreak in Plateau

    A fresh outbreak of cholera has been recorded in Barkin Ladi and Jos South local governments of Plateau state.

    The outbreak was said to have occurred at weekend when 17 victims were rushed to health clinics in Bukuru, headquarters of Jos South local government.

    While medical experts were trying to combat the incident of Jos South LGA, the epidemic erupted in nearby Barkin Ladi LGA early Sunday morning. Before noon, more than ten people were reported dead at the Barkin Ladi General Hospital while over 50 victims were admitted for treatment.

    More victims at the general hospital Barkin Ladi were reported to have died before Monday morning.

    Family relations of one of the victims, James Abok said, “this thing is a serious case, I know that between Sunday and Monday, not less than twenty people have been killed by cholera. Two of my neighbors are among the dead.”

    However, Chairman of Barkin Ladi LGA, Hon. Emmanuel Loman who responded though a telephone interview confirmed that five people lost their lives while 32 were hospitalized and are responding to treatment in the area.

    “The council has ensured that drugs and medical personnel are available to attend to those hospitalized while the Council has set aside a day to sensitize the people on the need to wash their fruits very well before eating and to live in a clean environment”

    According to Hon Loman, “the outbreak was due largely to and dirty environment as well as ignorance of the virus. That is why we have commenced an awareness campaign in the locality to minimize the numbers of victims.”

    “We are advising the people to keep their environment clean, wash their fruits before eating and avoid staying in a congested environment and report to the nearest hospital for appropriate action any frequent stooling and vomiting they noticed in their area”

  • Cholera kills 54 in Bauchi

    Cholera kills 54 in Bauchi

    Bauchi State Commissioner for Health Sani Malami said yesterday that 54 people have died from cholera in the last two months.

    Malami said the victims died at home because they were not taken to the hospital.

    He, however, said the situation had been brought under control through the government’s intervention.

    “The number of deaths recorded in our facilities was five, but there were lot of deaths at homes because people refused to take their relatives to the hospitals.

    “From our record, about 54 people have died in their homes. This was because people do not heed to medical advice to take their sick ones to the hospital.”

  • Cholera outbreak claims 54 lives in Bauchi, says Commissioner

    Dr. Sani Malami, Bauchi State Commissioner for Health on Thursday said cholera outbreak recorded across the state in the last two months, had resulted in the death of no fewer than 54 persons.

    Malami told NAN in Bauchi that the victims died at home because they were not taken to the hospital for medical attention.

    He however said that the situation had been brought under control through the quick intervention of the state government.

    “The number of deaths recorded in our facilities was five, but there were lot of deaths in the homes because people refused to take their relations to the hospitals.

    “From our record, about 54 people have died in their homes. This was because people do not heed to medical advice to take their sick ones to the hospital, “he said.

    The commissioner however said that proactive measures had been put in place to prevent future occurrence, especially in the aspect of awareness campaign.

    He said that the ministry had so far visited over 20,000 homes to advocate for timely report of any suspicion of the disease to the nearest health facility for quick diagnosis.

    Malami said that the state had also chlorinated over 60,000 wells within Bauchi town against the cholera virus.

     

  • Cholera looms in Oyo town, as residents defecate in schools

    • Blocks of classrooms turn into latrines

    Unless appropriate authorities take urgent steps on the dehumanizing and unhygienic situation at the L .A. Primary School, Bola, Shanga area in the Oyo West local government area of Oyo State, lives of pupils and teachers are in grave danger.

    Investigation  revealed that besides the fact that the school is in-conducive for learning, a block of four classrooms have been turned latrines where residents pass out excreta.

    Whenever the school closes for the day, especially at the weekends, some residents who are fond of defecating at any available open spaces would move into the school and litter the compound with faeces.

    Consequently, the pupils are forced to clean the excreta and inhaling the offensive odour before they can settle down for class works.

    Food vendors are also not helping the situation as the edibles are not being properly covered from swarm of houseflies emerging from the classrooms turned toilets and hovering round the premises wiyh attendant odour that stenches all over the place .

    The school is vulnerable to marauders as it has many entrances. The fencing cannot guarantee any security either as it is not high enough.

    Interestingly, the school is very close to family compounds of immediate past Speaker, State House of Assembly, Moroof Atilola, and the incumbent caretaker chairman of the Local Government, Soji Ojoawo, both of who are indigenes of the town.

    It was reliably learnt that some pupils and teachers had fallen sick and were diagnosed of cholera at a private hospital due to emission of the pervading odour around the school premise.

    Though the Headmaster of the school could not be reached when contacted thrice as she was said to be away on official assignments, but some of the teachers who spoke on conditions of anonymity hinted that several complaints had been lodged to appropriate quarters all to no avail.

    ‘’ Honestly speaking, we are fed up with the situation because both our lives and the pupils are in grave danger due to terrible unhygienic situation. Those who come to the school and pass-out excreta are not known and the bad habits continued unabated. You can imagine a school as old as it is being neglected and left in this situation.’’

    Efforts to contact the Local Government caretaker chairman, Soji Ojoawo for his comment were unsuccessful, as several mobile phone calls were diverted and not responded to.

     

  • Six die of cholera in Jos

    Six die of cholera in Jos

    Six people have died of cholera in Jos, the Plateau State capital. Over 113 others are on admission at various hospitals.

    The outbreak was noticed in parts of Bassa and Jos North local governments between Tuesday and yesterday.

    It was gathered that four persons died in Rukuba village, Bassa Local Government and two others in Jos North Local Government.

    The family of Ayuba Larab was said to have lost a 65-year-old woman; six other members of the family have been hospitalised.

    Deputy Director, Epidemiology in the Ministry of Health Dr. Raymond Juryit, said the incident in Bassa has been confirmed but that of Jos North was still being investigated.

    He said the case in Bassa was professionally handled and was responsible for the lesser number of deaths recorded.

    Juryit said: “A woman suffered from diarrhea and was admitted in the hospital and she died the following day. In the course of preparing food for the funeral, some members of the family developed the same symptoms.

    “We cannot conclude now that it is cholera because we have taken the samples and those with the symptoms have been admitted at Plateau Specialist Hospital. “The samples were being analysed, but we cannot wait for the result before we start treating them. We are suspecting cholera and have put them on that routine, but the full confirmation will come with the results.

    “That of Rukuba in Bassa has been brought under control and there is no danger in that place now. I am happy about the way it was handled because it was done professionally. If people report to the hospital, this can be treated because it is a simple disease.

    “It requires replacing the fluids and electrolytes that the patient has lost in quick time.”

    He advised people to observe simple hygiene by washing their hands before eating and keeping their environment clean.

  • Jos Cholera outbreak: 6 die, 113 hospitalised

    Fresh cases of Cholera has been recorded in Jos, the Plateau state capital with the death of four people and over 100 others on admission at various hospitals in Jos.

    The outbreak was noticed in parts of Bassa  and Jos North local government respectively between last Tuesday and Thursday this week.

    The NATION learnt that four  persons  died in Rukuba village of Bassa local government and two others died in Jos North local government of the state as a result of the outbreak.
    The Family of Ayuba Larab was said to have lost a 65 year old woman in the incidence and six other members of the family have been hospitalized following their contact with the original victims when the family never knew it was a case of Cholera outbreak.

    Deputy Director, Epidemiology in the Plateau State Ministry of Health and State Epidemiologist, Dr. Raymond Juryit, who confirmed the incidents said that  of Bassa has been confirmed but that of Jos North was still being investigated

    He said that the case in Bassa was professionally handled and that was responsible for the lesser number of deaths recorded, adding that it would have been worse if the cases were not handled by professionals.

    According to him, the case of Jos involved a family . He said, “A woman was sick of diarrhea and was admitted in the hospital and she died the following day. In the course of preparing food for the funeral, some members of the family developed the same symptoms. We cannot conclude now that it is cholera because we have taken the samples and those with the symptoms have been admitted at Plateau Specialist Hospital. The samples were being analyzed, but we cannot wait for the result before we start treating them. We are suspecting cholera and have put them on that routine, but the full confirmation will come with the results.”

    He added, “That of Rukuba in Bassa  have been brought under control and there is no danger in that place now. I am happy the way it was handled because it was done professionally. If people report to hospital, this can be treated because it is a simple disease. It takes just replacing the fluids and electrolytes that the patient has lost in quick time and in the eight quantity.”

    He advised people to observe simple hygiene by washing their hands before eating and keeping their environments clean.

  • …as cholera outbreak claims 8 lives

    THE Benue Government on Friday said that the cholera outbreak recorded in the state a few days had claimed eight lives. The state Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Orduen Abunku, made the announcement while speaking to journalists in Makurdi. Abunku said that 240 people had been diagnosed with the disease and were currently being treated. The outbreak of the disease was recorded in Wadata Community, a suburb of Makurdi last week. “A total of 240 cases have been reported, while eight deaths have been recorded so far,” he stated. The commissioner said that efforts by the state government to tackle the disease were yielding results. He said the disease was gradually being checked with few cases now reported. “We are collaborating with all the relevant agencies to mitigate the spread of the disease. “The World Health Organisation, the Federal Ministry of Health and other organisations have visited the affected area to ascertain the exact situation. “Cholera is a deadly disease that needs urgent treatment to avoid death. “There are several attempts to develop vaccines which can cure the ailment, but such vaccines are not too effective. “So, the best way to prevent deaths that can be caused by cholera is by preventing it,” the commissioner said.