Cholera outbreak: NCDC records 5951 suspected cases, 176 deaths

A total of 5,951 suspected cases of cholera and 176 deaths have been recorded in 152 LGAs across the states and Federal Capital Territory ( FCT ) as of August 11, 2024.

The data reflects continued increase in the number of cases being recorded across the country with the most affected age group being children under five years old.

Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) who disclosed this yesterday in Abuja, said the trend of cholera cases is anticipated to exhibit fluctuations and may persist until Epidemic Week 37.

He noted that current rainfall forecasts suggest there may be an increase in the number of cases adding that the contributing factors to the outbreak include high rates of open defecation, leading to contamination of water sources through runoff of faecal matter.
In response, we will enhance both prevention strategies and case management measures to effectively address and mitigate the outbreak.

According to him, this projection is consistent with the patterns observed in cholera outbreaks in Nigeria from 2020 to 2024.

He said, We are still implementing a coordinated response led by the National MultiSectoral Technical Working Group (TWG), hosted at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). This collaborative effort involves key partners,

including the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Ministry of Water
Resources, the Federal Ministry of Environment, the National Primary HealthCare Development Agency, and various development partners.

National Rapid Response Teams have been deployed to six states—Abia,Katsina, Lagos, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, and Zamfara—and we will continue to provide support to other states as needed.Rapid Response Teams (RRT) deployed to the state actively conduct case searches in high-risk local government areas (LGAs) to identify and link individuals with suspected cases to appropriate treatment centres. This proactive approach ensures that cases are promptly identified and receive then ecessary medical attention, helping to effectively contain the outbreak”.