OGUN, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – On June 9, 2024, a cholera outbreak was declared in Lagos, Nigeria.
The outbreak has spread across 30 states and has reported over 1,141 suspected cases, with 65 cases confirmed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).
The outbreak has claimed at least 30 lives, with children under the age of 14 being the most affected demographic.
Cholera, a bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholera, is primarily transmitted through contaminated water and food and is most commonly found in areas with poor sanitation and limited access to clean water.
The first series of cholera outbreaks in Nigeria was reported between 1970 and 1990. Major epidemics also occurred in 1992, 1995–1996, and 1997. Since then, the disease has become seasonal and occurs every year, mainly during the rainy season and in areas with poor sanitation.
According World Health Organisation (WHO), the symptoms of cholera include severe watery diarrhoea, vomiting, and dehydration. If left untreated, it can be life-threatening. It is true that severe cases can lead to death within hours due to dehydration.
“Cholera is a treatable and preventable disease, WHO said.
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2024
The Nigeria centre for diseases and control has recorded 65 confirmed cases of Cholera with 30 deaths from 1 January to 11 June across 96 local governments in 30 states.
According to the NCDC, a total of 1,141 suspected cases have been recorded in 2024. Ten states contributed 90 per cent of the total number.
The States are Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa and Lagos.
The identified Cholera strain, according to the Lagos Health Commissioner, Akin Abayomi, is “highly aggressive and contagious, with the potential for widespread” concerns, heightened by the rainy season.
2023
The Nigeria Centre for Disease and Prevention Control (NCDC) registered 210 new suspected cases of cholera infections and 10 “suspected” deaths in eight states from July 31 to August 27, 2023.
This report was announced via the official website in its monthly situation report on cholera covering epidemiological (EP) weeks 31 to 34.
2021
Nigeria experienced its worst cholera outbreak in a decade. As of mid-December, a total of 107,911 suspected cases, including 3,598 deaths, had been reported by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control in 2021.
Government Intervention
In 2018, a 5 years National Strategic Plan of Action for Cholera Control was established to promote coordinated control and prevention of cholera in the country.
An important component of the plan is to reduce cholera morbidity and mortality by 67% by the year 2023, which constitutes a commitment toward meeting the global target of eliminating cholera by 2030.
Gearing towards these goals, the OCV administration was conducted in seven cholera hotspot locations across four like Borno, Bauchi, Yobe, and Adamawa.
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The WHO highlighted the provision of safe water and sanitation as important preventive and control measures against cholera outbreaks.
However, these are resources that many resources limited countries including Nigeria cannot afford or maintain.
While the government has remained undeterred in the face of the outbreak by initiating cholera control measures, the situation seems to be complicated by poor access to clean water, open defecation, poor sanitation, and hygiene practices.
Aftermath of the spread of the disease, the Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) General Manager, Mukhtaar Tijani, has urged the public to refrain from consuming water from unreliable or untreated sources.
Prevention
Preventing cholera outbreaks hinges on robust public health measures including- Access to Clean Water and Sanitation: Ensuring communities have access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation facilities is pivotal in preventing cholera transmission.
Vaccination: In endemic areas or during outbreaks, cholera vaccines are deployed to protect at-risk populations. Vaccination campaigns are crucial in containing outbreaks and reducing the overall burden of the disease.