Unsafe water, dirty environment fuelling cholera outbreak – NCDC
A new report by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says unsafe water sources and dirty environment accounts for 16,008 suspected cases of cholera leading to 186 deaths reported from sixteen states since the beginning of the year.
This has contributed to the spread of the disease and yearly outbreaks in many states in Nigeria, says the agency while calling for better hygienic conditions.
“States are encouraged to prevent cholera outbreaks by improving access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH); this remains the best way to prevent cholera”, says a report by the organisation.
Chikwe Ihekweazu, chief executive officer, NCDC said, “Cholera cases are being treated at designated treatment centres in affected States. We are working with the State Ministries of Health, the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Medecin Sans Frontiers (MSF) and other partners to support the response. However, the primary problem and solution lies not in health, but in improving water and sanitation.”
Ihekweazu further said that the Federal Government of Nigeria and partners will continue to work to reduce the impact of the current outbreak on affected communities and ensure that the outbreak is fully controlled.
“Planning has already started to prevent future outbreaks and ensure better preparedness,” he said.
However, over the last few months, the agency has been supporting many states in the country to respond to outbreaks of cholera. The primary focus of the response has been to improve access to water and sanitation in these states.
In addition, vaccination campaigns led by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) have been carried out in the most affected Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Adamawa and Yobe states.
Although cholera cases are still being reported from eight states including Adamawa, Bauchi, Kano, Katsina, Zamfara, Kogi, Plateau and Kaduna, there has been a general decline in the number of new cases.
“In the last four weeks, no cases have been reported from Anambra, Nassarawa and Yobe States”, says the report.
Oladoyin Odubanjo chair, Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria (APHPN), Lagos Chapter said “All we need to do is to practise more universal care precautions at all times generally and avoid reverting to old habits. People need to practice more hygiene, which is very important and the environment needs to be cleaner.”
“We have to be very careful with our living condition and the government needs to improve in assisting states with epidemic so as to live well” Odubajo said.
Meanwhile, the water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) component of the response, led by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR), has provided motorised solar-powered boreholes, sanitation units with hand washing facilities, as well as blocks of latrine compartment in affected States.
Nigeria is also working with other Lake Chad basin countries to strengthen cross-border collaboration for cholera control.
ANTHONIA OBOKOH