Festivities may worsen cholera outbreak as cases spread to 30 states
Medical experts have warned that the latest cholera outbreak might spread to many villages and states across the country during the Eid-el-Kabir festival if proper precautions are not taken to restrict the spread of the acute diarrhoeal virus.The experts, who spoke in separate interviews with Sunday Nigerianwatch, warned the increased travel during the holiday season could lead to a surge in cholera cases.
This comes as the Lagos State Government confirms 15 deaths from the virus.
Cholera is a food and water-borne disease caused by ingestion of the bacteria Vibrio cholerae found in contaminated water and food.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention also alerted the public about the rising number of cholera cases across the country as the rainy season progressed.
According to the centre, from January 1 to June 11, 2024, over 1,141 suspected and 65 confirmed cases of cholera were recorded from 96 LGAs in 30 states, resulting in over 30 deaths.
It was revealed that the ten states that provide 90% of the cholera load are Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa, and Lagos.
In Nigeria, cholera is an endemic and seasonal disease that occurs primarily during the rainy season and is more common in places with poor sanitation.
In 2022, WHO received 473,000 reports of cholera cases, more than double the amount from 2021. In 2023, an additional 700,000 instances are expected to emerge.
According to the most recent World Health Organisation data, 145,900 cholera cases and 1,766 deaths were reported from 24 countries across five WHO regions, with Africa having the highest number, followed by the Eastern Mediterranean Region, the Americas Region, South-East Asia Region, and the European Region.
Speaking about the risk of further spread during the Sallah celebration, Dr. Dele Abdullahi, President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, noted that increased holiday season travel could lead to an increase in cholera cases.
According to Abdullahi, "Cholera is a bacterial condition, thus it is possible that it will spread to neighbouring states over the festival season.
"Due to the Sallah celebration, there will be a lot of migration. People will travel from one site to another, and many of them may relocate during the incubation period. The objective here is for our healthcare institutions to maintain a high level of suspicion whenever they meet episodes of vomiting and diarrhoea.
"I am confident that the outbreak will not spoil the Sallah celebration," he stated.
To help prevent the spread, the NARD President emphasised the importance of maintaining optimal and high hygiene standards.
"We need a high level of suspicion. When we encounter patients who are vomiting, we must immediately transport them to a medical facility. It is preferable to arrive and discover that it is simply food poisoning than to be unsure about the health condition we are dealing with.
"People should also avoid self-medication and unconventional approaches for dealing with health difficulties at home. "All of these measures will help to slow the spread of the disease," he stated.
Dr. Tunji Akintade, a former Chairman of the Association of Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, further stated that "If someone with the disease travels without taking care of themselves and defecates in an open place, their faeces could contaminate water sources and infect others." Thus, the disease has the potential to spread due to water transmission and inadequate hygiene."
Akintade added that people who practiced good personal and environmental hygiene and were conscious of what and where they ate were less likely to become ill.
"If I live in the same house as someone who has cholera, but we don't eat the same foods, and I'm careful about what I eat, I might not contract it. As a result, when people travel, it is critical to encourage them to avoid drinking water from locations where instances have been documented.
"People need to maintain good hygiene, wash their hands after using the toilet, and ensure their surroundings are clean," he said.
Dr Ibrahim Kuranga-Suleiman, a consultant family physician and Head of Department at the University of Ilorin in Kwara State, said that the sickness could spread as people travelled if preventative precautions were not taken.
Kuranga-Suleiman stated, "The sickness could spread during the Sallah time. To combat this, we must improve our cleanliness standards, including thoroughly washing fruits and properly cooking foods. Even the water we consume must come from safe and clean sources.
"By taking these precautions, we can prevent not only cholera but also travel-related diarrhoea, which is common among travellers."
NCDC encourages preventive.
Dr Jide Idris, Director General of the NCDC, underlined the importance of preventive in the fight against the disease during a Channels Television broadcast on Saturday.
Idris warned that as the rainy season progressed, there was a risk of more cholera cases in the country.
"The Nigerian Meteorological Agency has said that the rains this year are going to be heavier, and when you have rains, you're going to have floods, and this leads to contamination of our water sources, so the chances are that cholera cases will increase."
The DG, who blamed the virus outbreak on poor sanitation, personal and environmental hygiene, and a lack of access to clean water, stated that the agency was undertaking a risk assessment and had alerted all states to the situation.
"I believe it is a sickness caused by poor sanitation. My observations indicate that prevention is very weak, which supports your thesis that we appear to have forgotten or are not taking prevention seriously. In a circumstance with limited resources, I believe that is the best strategy.
"Returning to the cholera case, the issue is one of poor sanitation, good personal and environmental hygiene, and a lack of access to water. Hand-washing is the simplest technique to maintain proper personal hygiene, particularly after using the lavatory and before cooking your food.
"yet it's a problem when people are urged to wash their hands yet don't have access to water. So, I believe everyone, including the federal government, state governments, various agencies, local governments, and even the community, must work together."
The DG stated that state governments must ensure that their populations have access to clean water and sanitation facilities.
The biosafety agency begs for vigilance.
In addition, the National Biosafety Management Agency has urged the public to exercise caution in light of the recent cholera outbreak.
The agency, in a statement published by its Head of Information and Communications, Mrs Gloria Ogbaki, quoted the agency's Director-General, Dr Agnes Asagbra, as adding that vigilance was required.
"As we approach the Sallah celebration, it is critical that we all prioritise the health and safety of our communities.
"Cholera, a highly contagious bacterial infection caused by the ingestion of contaminated food or water, has been reported in Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa, and Lagos States."
Asagbra stated that the NBMA, in coordination with health authorities, was actively monitoring the situation and implementing measures to limit the spread of the disease.
Lagos registers 15 deaths.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has confirmed 17 cholera cases out of 350 suspected cases in 29 wards across the state. The state government acknowledged this in a statement on Saturday, citing 15 deaths from the cholera outbreak.
The announcement, signed by Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, Director of Public Affairs at the state Ministry of Health, stated that the government had activated the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre at Mainland Hospital in Yaba, Lagos.
According to the statement, the PHEOC was summoned to address the rising number of acute gastroenteritis cases across the state's many LGAs.
According to the statement, the Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, announced this while discussing actions made to manage the outbreak in the state.
"He revealed that 350 suspected cases of cholera were reported in 29 wards across multiple LGAs in Lagos State, with 17 confirmed cases and 15 fatalities so far," it stated in part.
"The laboratory examination and test findings have so far confirmed the cholera subtype O-1. The number of new cases per day varies by LGA, according to our constant surveillance and monitoring updates.
"Although this is an increase over the statistics announced three days ago, cases are currently significantly decreasing in previously afflicted LGAs as a result of our actions and surveillance efforts. However, we are seeing additional instances in previously unaffected LGAs, highlighting the importance of citizens strictly adhering to preventative, personal, and environmental hygiene measures," the commissioner stated.
He continued, "The Directorate of Environmental Health of the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency of the Ministry of Environment, had collected samples of water sources, food, and beverage samples in all the affected LGAs, while facility inspections were ongoing.
Abayomi asked locals to assist the state government's efforts by carefully following to preventive measures, working with health officials, and participating in community-wide cleanliness initiatives to help prevent the disease from spreading.
"During the Sallah season, residents are encouraged to consume clean water, properly cook meals, practise personal hygiene, wash their hands frequently, use sanitizer, and avoid overcrowded areas. Reporting symptoms such as watery diarrhoea or vomiting as soon as possible is also critical for saving lives and preventing transmission to other members of the community. "All government facilities offer free treatment for suspected cholera as part of the government's standard public health response," he said.
Ogun encourages locals to take preventative steps.
Also, the Ogun State administration encouraged residents to take preventive measures to avoid a cholera outbreak in the state.
Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Media and Strategy, confirmed this in a statement released on Saturday.
Akinmade noted that the governor was concerned about the situation and the need to prevent a cholera outbreak, especially given the proximity of Ogun to Lagos and the extent of interaction between the two states.
According to the statement, the preventive steps include ensuring that all homes have toilets, that all petrol stations have functioning public toilets with flowing water as part of their corporate social responsibility, and that all garages and parks have functional toilets with running water.
"All markets must have functional public toilets with running water, mechanic villages must have functional toilets with running water, and all schools should have public toilets with running water," the statement continued.
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