Oyo govt issues health alert over suspected cholera cases

The Oyo State government has called for vigilance and the adoption of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of a potential cholera outbreak in the state.

A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dọtun Oyelade, quoted the health commissioner, Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, to have given the charge during her visit to a private hospital in Ibadan where two suspected cholera cases were receiving treatment.

Mrs Ajetunmobi noted that cholera is a bacterial infection spread by eating or drinking food or water contaminated by the faeces of an infected person.

She explained that cholera is highly infectious and can cause severe acute watery diarrhea with severe dehydration, adding that it may be associated with nausea, profuse vomiting, and fever.

The health commissioner described the two suspected cases in Ibadan, which had been tracked down to a private facility in the state, as male workers who worked at a construction site in Lekki Peninsula in Lagos State

She noted that there was no cause for alarm as the ministry and other partners were on top of the situation.

Mrs Oluwaserimi reiterated the response efforts of the state government at ensuring that the state does not record casualties from the cholera outbreak from Lagos State.

According to her, “the response efforts include the deployment of LGA DSNO, promotional jingles in English and Yoruba running in different media houses; immediate inauguration of the Cholera Technical Working Group; putting IDC Olodo into active mode for isolation and management; reaching out to all our surveillance rangers at the LGA level to intensify surveillance activities; re-posting of cholera case definition on the platform of community informants for updates, awareness, and sensitisation of the gatekeepers, and other well-established community structures.”

She appealed to residents to be safety conscious and always drink water only from clean sources, and practice good personal hand hygiene by frequently washing hands with soap and water.

The commissioner urged residents with the symptoms mentioned above not to partake in self-medication but present themselves at the nearest healthcare facility immediately.