Following a cholera outbreak in Ndibokote village of Ezza Inyimagu in the Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, about ten persons have died.
The Ebonyi State Health Commissioner Moses Ekuma confirmed this in a statement by the ministry’s spokesman Lucy Anyim on Thursday.
Ekuma said the outbreak, which was reported on September 23, had claimed the life of a nursing mother, leaving behind her nine-month-old baby.
According to Ekuma, apart from the deceased, about 20 persons affected by the outbreak are responding to treatment as efforts have been made to put the disease under control from spreading around the community.
He commended the state Governor Francis Nwifuru has approved the procurement of medical commodities to curtail the outbreak. He said that three treatment centres including the Iziogo Health Centre, Sudan Mission Onuenyim, and Ndibokote village have been established in the area.
He advised people to take precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
Open defecation and poor hygiene have been attributed to the outbreak of the disease, as most communities get drinking water from streams, as such the people are advised to take precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), from January 1 to September 1, 2024, 7,056 suspected cholera cases, including 204 deaths, were reported from 36 states.
Of the suspected cases, age groups less than 5 years were most affected, followed by age groups 25-34 — with 53 percent male and 47 female.
