The Commissioner for Health, Cross River State, South-South Nigeria, Dr Henry Ayuk, says the state had activated an emergency response team to respond to any threat of cholera outbreak.
He disclosed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Calabar, the state capital.
Ayuk said the state had yet to witness any cholera cases since the current outbreak was reported, but that one was recorded death associated with cholera around March 2024.
“There was an outbreak of the disease in Obubura and Biase local government areas between February and April, with one death recorded during the outbreak.
“That was about the only time we had a case of cholera outbreak in this state,” he added.
The Osun State Government also said it had intensified sensitisation among the residents to prevent the outbreak of cholera in the state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Jola Akintola, while addressing the concerns about possible outbreak due to the large movement of people into the state during the festive period, highlighted measures put in place by the government to prevent the outbreak of the disease.
Giving an update about efforts to prevent the cholera outbreak in Osun, Akintola, in an interview, said his ministry had intensified sensitisation, especially at motor parks and markets across the state.
He further said, “No suspected case of cholera in Osun till now, not to talk of a confirmed case. We have fliers everywhere and outreaches were being organised in some public places like moto parks and markets.
“But as we speak, we have not recorded any suspected case. The essence of the outreaches I spoke about earlier is to educate our people on what they must do to prevent the outbreak of the disease.”
Meanwhile, a non-governmental organisation, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa has urged state governments to address the underlying issues to curb the spread of cholera.
In a statement by its Media and Communications Officer, Robert Egbe, CAPPA noted that as the outbreak ravages, state authorities had been quick to issue safety guidelines and precautionary measures, but underlying issues needed to be addressed.
“Cholera is an infectious disease that causes diarrhoea and severe dehydration and is typically spread through unsafe water and food contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.
“The disease, even though preventable, is particularly vicious in areas where sanitary facilities are insufficient, and the availability of safe water supply is inadequate. As such, the resolution to controlling cholera lies in the effective management of public water and sanitation systems,” CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi said.
