The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has alerted the public to the increasing trend of cholera cases across the country, as a total of 1,141 suspected and 65 confirmed cases of cholera with 30 deaths have been reported from 96 LGAs in 30 states.
A statement by the centre on Wednesday, said 10 states that contributed 90% to the burden of cholera include Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa and Lagos States.
According to the statement, the multi-sectoral National Cholera Technical Working Group, led by the NCDC and comprising the Federal Ministries of Environment and Water Resources, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and other partners, has been providing support to the affected states.
It advised the public to ensure that water is boiled and stored in a clean and covered container before drinking.
Other advice includes practising good personal hand hygiene by washing your hands frequently with soap under clean running water, using alcohol-based hand sanitiser if soap and clean water are not available, ensuring that food is well cooked before consumption, only consuming raw food such as fruits and vegetables, after washing thoroughly with safe water.
