The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) might declare an emergency due to the cholera outbreak in the country.
Dr. Jide Idris, the NCDC Director General, said on Wednesday in Lagos, that they are watching the situation closely. If the data shows that the outbreak is too severe to handle, an emergency will be declared.
Dr. Idris spoke at the Adetokunbo Alakija Memorial Travel Medicine Lecture in Victoria Island, Lagos.
According to reports, Nigeria is facing a cholera outbreak in 30 states. On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the International Organization for Migration had an emergency meeting in Lagos.
The WHO Country Representative, Dr. Walter Mulombo, shared this news on social media.
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From January 1 to June 11, 2024, the NCDC reported over 1,141 suspected and 65 confirmed cases of cholera, leading to more than 30 deaths in 96 local government areas across 30 states.
In Lagos alone, the Ministry of Health recorded 350 suspected cases, 17 confirmed cases, and 15 deaths due to severe dehydration from cholera.
Dr. Idris stated that the NCDC is conducting a risk assessment to determine if the outbreak has reached emergency levels.
Dr. Idris said that prevention and preparedness are crucial, stating, “We must prepare; prevention means to create the facilities that you will need, the isolation centres, and look at the human resource you have, etc.”
Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Adviser on Health to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, emphasized the importance of a clean environment in fighting cholera.
She said, “It’s all about the environment, it’s about water, it’s about what you eat, it’s about people defecating, and all that is flushed into the drainage system. It’s not just the Ministry of Health, we cannot work in isolation, and we are trying our best. We have programmes – the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene known as WASH. We are trying to get clean water into all (areas), we are looking at pipes that are broken, and the things that are not working, etc.”
Ogunyemi urged everyone to maintain personal hygiene and for the Ministry of Health to work closely with environmental agencies.
She mentioned programmes like Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) to provide clean water and repair broken pipes.
Beyond Boders further reports that the Lagos State Government issued safety guidelines to schools, parents, and guardians to help prevent cholera.
Schools should ensure food handlers practice strict hygiene, have oral rehydration salts, and maintain working handwashing facilities.
Moreover, schools should clean WASH facilities twice a day with a chlorine solution.
Parents should watch their children for symptoms like fever, frequent watery stool, and vomiting. Children showing symptoms should stay at home and seek medical advice.
Parents are also advised to ensure their children use hand sanitizers, wash hands often, and avoid unnecessary physical contact. Keeping up with vaccinations and a balanced diet is also important.
The government provided emergency contact numbers for health emergencies: 08023169485, 08137412348, or 767/112.
