NCDC confirms 74 cholera deaths, 2,339 suspected cases

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said, no fewer than 74 persons have been reportedly killed by cholera in 30 states this year.

The latest cholera situation report by the NCDC also showed that there are a total of 2,339 suspected cases of the infection as of May 29, 2022.

According to the agency, “Of the suspected cases since the beginning of the year, the age group 5 years is the most affected age group for males and females.

“It also said, of all suspected cases, 50 percent are males, and 50 percent are females.”

The agency said five states, Taraba (651 cases), Cross River (593 cases), Katsina (134 cases), kano (124 cases), and Benue (100 cases) account for 68 percent of all cumulative cases, while six LGAs across two states Cross River (3) and Taraba (3) reported more than 100 cases each this year.

It added “Thirty states have reported suspected cholera cases in 2022. These are Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba and Zamfara.”

In the reporting month, 8 states reported 137 suspected cases – Anambra (2), Gombe (1), Imo (3), Kaduna (4), Kano (68), Niger (1), Plateau (22), and Taraba (36).

There was a 60% decrease in the number of new suspected cases in May Epi week 18 – 21 (137) compared with April Epi week 13 – 17 (342).

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease caused by Vibrio cholerae, a gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium. It is a potentially life-threatening, primarily waterborne disease, according to the NCDC.

“In Nigeria, cholera is an endemic and seasonal disease, occurring annually mostly during the rainy season and more often in areas with poor sanitation, with the first series of cholera outbreaks reported between 1970 and 1990,” it noted.

Punch