ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- No fewer than nine persons have been confirmed dead, while over 30 others are currently receiving treatment at different hospitals in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State following a cholera outbreak in Akpoha community in the council.
The outbreak which has reportedly caused panic and tension in the country ravaged the community unprecedentedly, a development that caused the council chairman, Uchenna Ibiam, and a team of the state Ministry of Health and that of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), to take an on-the-spot-assessment tour of the community.
Ibiam, while addressing the village heads, men, women and youths of Akpoha community, expressed concern over the unexpected deaths of some people including children due to the outbreak of the disease.
The council boss implored the people of the area not to panic as the situation was under control.
He commended the state government for prompt response, especially in sending Rapid Response Team to assist health workers at Akpoha in containing the situation.
The Chairman further urged the affected communities to adhere strictly to medical advice to stem the outbreak.
Ibiam, who visited the victims at the various health facilities at Akpoha, promised that his administration will provide access to potable water to forestall future occurrence.
He said that his visit was to serve as a psychological therapy to the people of the area aimed at rekindling their hope in the administration’s readiness to salvage their children.
The people of Akpoha community in the council thanked Ibiam for his prompt on the spot assessment of the situation and for giving them reason not to despair.
Recall that about three weeks ago, cholera outbreak claimed the lives of over five persons in Ezillo community in Ishielu Local Government Area of the state.
A health specialist in the Ministry of Health, Ebonyi State, who pleaded for anonymity said the cause of the incessant outbreaks in the state is as a result of open defecation and lack of potable water in most rural communities of the state.
The expert therefore called on the state government to find a lasting solution to the perennial water scarcity in the state and embark on the construction of toilet facilities in the rural communities, saying that the lives of innocent Ebonyi people are at risk because of government’s failure to provide basic amenities.