Over 1,500 Confirmed Cases Of Cholera In Northeast Nigeria
Cases of cholera and acute diarrhoea were recorded in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, with 60 fatalities
Over 1,500 confirmed cases of cholera had been recorded in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa in Northeast Nigeria between January and September, according to data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Cholera, a water-borne infection resulting from poor hygiene and acute diarrhoea, has been a recurring health problem in the region. It is also prevalent during the rainy season.
An earlier report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs had revealed that “Some 17 local government areas (LGAs) across the three states are reporting cases that are largely attributed to the widespread contamination of water sources by flooding as the rainy season enters its peak.”
Cholera outbreaks in IDP camps also occur due to overcrowding, open defecation, poor WASH hygiene practices, and a lack of access to safe drinking water. Several cholera cases and deaths were recently recorded in an internally displaced person camp in Bama, central Borno and a camp for persons associated with Boko Haram in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.
Since the beginning of the year, 918 cases have been confirmed in Yobe state, with 33 deaths recorded. Also, 679 confirmed cases have been recorded in Borno with 25 deaths, and 161 cases in Adamawa with one death.
According to a report issued by the Adamawa state ministry of health, there have been no recent cases or deaths within the last two weeks.
In Borno, the state government has established a committee to manage the disease outbreak within the affected communities and camps. A letter seen by HumAngle shows that authorities has been struggling to control the spread of diarrhoea and cholera.
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