Safe water and sanitation is critical to prevent and control the transmission of cholera and other waterborne diseases. Photo: Radio Nigeria Archives
79 deaths have been recorded from Cholera, while 1,336 people are suspected to have been infected with the viral disease so far in 2023, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
The NCDC disclosed this in its latest cholera situation epidemiological result.
The report revealed that 12 states across 43 local government areas reported the suspected cases, with a case fatality ratio of 5.9 per cent.
According to the NCDC, the affected states are; Abia, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Kano, Katsina, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Sokoto and Zamfara.
Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. People can get sick when they ingest food or water contaminated with the bacteria.
The infection is often mild or without symptoms, but can sometimes be severe and life-threatening.
In Nigeria, cholera is an endemic and seasonal disease, occurring annually mostly during the rainy season and more often in areas with poor sanitation.
According to the World Health Organisation, at least 24 countries continue to report cholera cases.
The NCDC report read in part, “Of the suspected cases since the beginning of the year, age groups 15-24 and greater than 45 years are the most affected age groups for males and females. Of all suspected cases, 53 per cent are males and 47 per cent are females.”
Writing by Muzha Kucha