The Ministry of Health in Edo State has declared an outbreak of cholera, confirming six cases of the disease among the 40 suspected cases recorded to date.
The Director of Public Health in the ministry Dr. Stephenson Ojeifo disclosed the details during a news conference in Benin on Thursday, highlighting the gravity of the situation and the measures being taken to manage it.
Dr. Ojeifo explained that 23 suspected samples, initially tested positive in the Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT), were sent to the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja for confirmation.
Alongside these, three samples that tested negative on the RDT but displayed clear clinical symptoms were also sent for verification. Of the 26 samples submitted for confirmatory testing, results for 15 have been received, with six confirmed as positive for cholera. The remaining results are still pending.
Despite the confirmation of these cases, Ojeifo reported that all affected patients have been treated according to cholera management protocols and have since been discharged. Encouragingly, there have been no new cases exhibiting symptoms in the community at present. The confirmed cases include three from Egor, two from Uhunmwonde, and one from Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area.
In response to the outbreak, the state government is implementing comprehensive measures to control and contain the situation. These include activating health centers at the grassroots level to manage suspected cases effectively.
Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across various local government areas have been staffed with medical professionals for this purpose. Additionally, major health institutions such as the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State University Teaching Hospital, and the Central Hospital in Benin City have been designated as referral centers for handling severe cases.
Dr. Ojeifo urged the public to avoid self-medication and to seek medical attention if they experience symptoms such as watery stools and diarrhea. He emphasized the importance of maintaining good hygiene and sanitation practices and advised the public to report any suspected cases of cholera promptly to health authorities.
