As pupils in private and public schools nationwide resume today from the Mid-Term break, continuing the 2023/2024 Third Term Academic Session, the Federal Capital Territory has underscored the importance of implementing measures to prevent the outbreak and spread of cholera in schools.
The Director, FCT Secondary Education Board, Sani Ladan, said the board had sensitised schools’ principals and put in place measures, including sanitation, and monitoring of food vendors, to mitigate against the disease. He also said that the board had provided disinfectants, toilet papers, and hand washing points at the school toilet facilities to ensure compliance to hygiene guidelines, as well as bins to ensure proper sorting and disposal of waste. “The (school) principals were sensitised to that issue, and there are so many measures that we are working on. One is the sanitation of the schools. Secondly, the food handling because even before now, all our cooks are well schooled on how to handle food issues. From the store, to where they would prepare it, to how they would package it, and how the students will eat it, and how the plates will be gathered and washed. “And most of our schools now, we don’t even allow students to eat and drop anything anyhow. We have designed something like a bottle, so if there is anything watery or inside the water bottle, you will discard it there,” Ladan said.
He added that the board was working closely with the Public Health and Disease Control Departments of the FCT Health, Human Services, and Environment Secretariat, in the event of any cases of an outbreak across the schools.
According to experts, poor sanitary conditions, lack of access to clean water, and cleaning supplies can predispose people to a cholera infection. Cholera is a highly contagious food and water-borne disease that spreads through direct transmission by eating or drinking contaminated food or water, and indirect transmission due to poor sanitation and lack of hand washing. Symptoms of cholera include acute, painless watery diarrhea of sudden onset, with or without vomiting. It may be associated with nausea, profuse vomiting, and fever.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said severe cases can lead to death within hours due to dehydration, however, about 80 per cent of people may only show mild symptoms or have no symptoms at all.
It also noted that the disease is easily treatable if detected early and most infected people can be treated successfully through prompt administration of oral rehydration solution, to replace lost fluids and electrolytes, and appropriate antibiotics. The Lagos State Ministry of Health, had confirmed 350 suspected cases of cholera in 29 wards across multiple LGAs in the state, with 17 confirmed cases and 15 deaths. Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said Nigeria recorded 65 confirmed cases of cholera with 30 deaths from 1 January to 11 June, across 96 local governments in 30 states.
