A cholera outbreak has hit Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state, already reeling from floods that displaced nearly 2 million people.
The commissioner for Health and Human Services, Prof Baba Gana while declaring the outbreak at the eye center in Maiduguri, said out of the two hundred samples sent for testing, seventeen returned positive.
According to him, the outbreak is a result of the recent flood disaster that ravaged parts of the state.
The prof named Jere, Mafa, Konduga, Dikwa and MMC local government areas with the recorded outbreak.
Although no death has been recorded, the commissioner said there are increasing cases of Cholera in many LGAs, especially when neighbouring states of Adamawa and Yobe have been affected by the outbreak.
He said 451 suspected cases were reported from the various LGAs but only 17 were confirmed positive.
The state government has therefore declared immediate response to control the outbreak, as partners and humanitarian agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) have put in place facilities to handle suspected cases.
He also said about 400, 000 vaccines have been made available.
