Cholera deaths hit 1,768

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), yesterday, said deaths arising from the Cholera epidemic has risen to 1,768 as of August 15.

It said 47,603 suspected cases have been reported from 23 states since the beginning of 2021.

The states include Benue, Delta, Zamfara, Gombe, Bayelsa, Kogi, Sokoto, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Kebbi, Cross River, Niger, Nasarawa, Jigawa, Yobe, Kwara, Enugu, Adamawa, Katsina, Borno, Taraba and theFederal Capital Territory.

NCDC, in its weekly epidemiological report, said of the reported cases since the beginning of the year, persons within age five to 14 were most affected, 51 per cent male and 49 female.

It also confirmed there was 21 per cent decrease in the number of new cases in week 32 of the year, stating that Bauchi (1,306), Jigawa (714) and Kebbi (325) accounted for 78.6 per cent of 2,984 suspected cases reported in week 32.

The centre said since the beginning of the year, 1,999 samples have been collected with positive cases as follows – 314 rapid diagnostic test positive only, 113 culture positive and the test positivity rate for laboratory confirmation by culture was 5.7 per cent.

NCDC, however, complained that it had been having challenges in accessing some communities with the needed interventions due to security issues, highlighting that open defecation in communities has also been a major challenge for them.

It also highlighted that lack of potable water in the rural communities, inadequate manpower for cholera outbreaks as well as an insufficient vaccine to go around the affected local government areas have been some of the challenges being encountered in the cause of responding to the outbreak.

Meanwhile, NCDC said it would soon conduct training on cholera surveillance, hotspot mapping and development of state-level preparedness and response plans ahead of subsequent cases.

The centre said it would submit a cholera vaccination request to an international coordinating group and the global tasks force for cholera control for reactive and preventive cholera campaign with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.