Cholera: FG confirms 86 deaths from 1,623 cases in 6 states

Cholera: FG confirms 86 deaths from
1,623 cases in 6 states
on november 01, 2013 at 9:40 am in news
…directs federal facilities to provide free services to
affected persons
BY SOLA OGUNDIPE & RACHAEL OLAYIWOLA
ABUJA—The Federal Ministry of Health yesterday
confirmed that 86 deaths have been recorded from
1,623 cholera cases in six states of the federation
just as all federal health facilities nationwide have
been directed to provide free treatment to cholera
patients.
A statement issued in Abuja by the apex Health
Ministry, identified Zamfara State in the North-West
as the most affected state with 51 deaths out of
1,110 cases. It is followed by Nasarawa State with
nine deaths out of 105 cases.
Giving an update on the outbreak of the disease in
the country, Minster of Health, Professor Onyebuchi
Chukwu listed other affected States to include
Plateau State: 11 deaths from 130 cases; Lagos
State: four deaths from 134 cases; Oyo State: six
deaths from 29 cases and Ogun State with five
deaths from 115 cases.
Chukwu, who explained the current estimate of the
patterns of distribution of the outbreaks across the
country, noted: “These are estimates, because
trickles of incidences and mortalities may still be
coming. However, in Sokoto and Katsina states, the
gastro-enteritis outbreaks have not been proven to
be cholera. While further investigations continue,
only confirmed cases are included in the current
statistics.
“The outbreak in the states mentioned earlier has
been confirmed by our laboratories to be caused by
Vibiro cholerae serotypes 01 and 0139,” the
Minister remarked.
Further, he said the affected states are being
supported to respond to the outbreak by supplying
them with emergency drugs, diagnostic kits and
other commodities. “The Federal Ministry of Health
realises that the affected states will require further
assistance and efforts are being made to upscale
our technical and material assistance to those
states immediately.”
The minister who has directed the Nigeria Centre
for Disease Control, NCDC, to immediately co-
ordinate response activities and report to him daily
on both the patterns of occurrence, efforts at
achieving total control of these outbreaks as well as
the status of the control, assured that government
will continue to enhance its surveillance,
intervention measures and implement public health
awareness campaigns aimed at stemming such
occurrences.
Already, the minister has directed immediate
release of adequate quantities of emergency drugs
(cholera kits) to all the affected states for prompt
and adequate treatment of cases.
According to the statement, additional deployment of
rapid response teams from the ministry to all the
affected states is in place to assist in investigating
and verifying the cases and tracing of contacts.
Other steps taken to check the menace include
mobilization and sensitization of clinicians and
relevant healthcare workers in areas affected for
patient management and care and immediate
enhancement of health promotion/public awareness
campaign to enhance among others good personal
and community hygiene behaviour and encourage
food hygiene practices.
Chukwu urged Nigerians, including health care
workers to increase their propensity to adopt
hygiene based health-seeking behaviours that will
ensure safety.
These hygiene practices include hand-washing with
soap after visiting the toilet and also before eating;
cultivation of the habit of regular and intermittent
hand-washing with soap and water and desisting
from open defecation.
Others include boiling of water before drinking,
protection of food from house flies, thorough
washing of fruits and vegetables before eating them
and environmental cleanliness.