LAST  month, Nigeria experienced an outbreak of cholera in some states leaving causalities behind. In the reporting month, according to the information from the National Center for Diseases Control (NCDC), as of June 23, 2024, a total of 1,579 suspected cases including 54 deaths have been reported in 32 states.

    THE centre noted that as regards  the suspected cases since the beginning of the year, age groups less than five  years are mostly affected, followed by the age groups 5 – 14 years in aggregate of both males and females, noting that of all suspected cases, 50 percent are males and 50 percent are females.

BREAKDOWN of cases shows Lagos have  537, Bayelsa 466 , Abia 109, Zamfara 64 cases, Bauchi 46 cases, Katsina 45 cases, Cross River 43 cases, Ebonyi 38 cases, Rivers 37 cases, Delta 34 cases, Imo 28, Ogun 21, Nasarawa 19, Ondo 17 , Kano  13, Niger 11  and Osun 11 cases accounting for 97.5 percent  of the reported  cases this year. Thus, Lagos accounts for 34 percent of all suspected cases in the country.

CHOLERA is an acute diarrhea disease caused by Vibrio cholerae bacteria. It is passed on from faeces through contaminated food, drinks and unhygienic environments, and causes severe dehydration. Infected people can die if their illness is not quickly managed with oral rehydration.It is mostly caused by contaminated food and water due to poor sanitation and hygiene.

ALREADY, the Federal Government has commenced measures to combat the cholera epidemic by tackling the root causes, including open defecation. This it has done by inaugurating the Steering Committee for the “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet” Campaign at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Federal Government should  end open defecation by mobilising strategic stakeholders, leveraging technology, and deploying innovative and sustainable solutions to boost the nation’s sanitation landscape. Response teams of the states across the country have been activated too to tackle it.

THE World Health Organization (WHO) is also helping to fight it particularly  in states which are yet to record an outbreak. Last week, WHO donated Infection and Prevention Control materials (IPC) including 15 cartons of Apron( PEP Gowns), 15 cartons of face shield, 46 cartons of Medline( isolation gowns), 25 cartons of Examination large gloves, and 52 cartons of medical face mask, to Ondo State as part of efforts to help in the fight against its outbreak.

TO curtail cholera outbreak, The Hope calls on federal and state government to intensify  their  efforts and deploy more personnel to health facilities at the grassroots. Also, the response rate should be fast and it is important that government steps up mobilisation and sensitisation in order to keep the people properly sensitized.

 IT is not out of place for government to make hotlines available for the public in case of record of new cases. Government should at this time make it a necessity to monitor food vendors. Government at all levels should collaborate in providing potable water to the people.

BY now, we should have developed local vaccine to tackle outbreak of diseases in Nigeria. Hence, government should work on locally produced vaccine to tackle cholera and to make it easily accessible. Since cholera has the tendency to have butterfly effect, every state should ensure that it is well taken care of while sanitation officers should be more proactive. Local Governments should be up and doing in ensuring that the drainages are well cleaned to encourage the free flow of water.

THE HOPE calls on the people to embrace proper hygiene, good dietary habit bearing  in mind that cholera is not like COVID-19 as it comes mostly due to poor hygiene. Agencies of socialisation including churches and mosques should sensitise their members on it and people should report to health facilities in case of any symptom rather than giving in to self-medication.

MORE so, people should embrace regular hand washing and cook food properly and also be encouraged to dispose waste appropriately. They should not dispose waste in the water ways especially during the rains.

ALL hands, both the government and the people, must be on deck to fight the cholera scourge as it does not just happen but traceable to human activities.