Two prison inmates die of cholera in Lagos

Two persons were confirmed dead and five were hospitalised due to cholera in Badagry.

The Medical Director of the General Hospital, Badagry, Olatunde Bakare, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday that victims were brought to the hospital by some officials of the Correctional Centre in the town.

NAN reports that health authorities declared a cholera outbreak in Lagos on 15 June when 436 suspected cases were reported.

NAN also reports that six days later, there were more than 500 suspected cases and 43 confirmed cases, with a 5.4 per cent case fatality rate among the suspected cases.

Mr Bakare said that six inmates of the centre were brought to the hospital on 9 July, at about 7.00.p.m.

According to him, one of the inmates was brought in dead while the other died the following morning in the hospital.

“The laboratory test confirmed that they had the disease and they were hospitalised at the emergency axis of the hospital.

“Another inmate was brought in the following day, making five patients receiving treatment now,” he said.

Mr Bakare added that one of the patients had been treated and discharged from the hospital.

He said that there was a prompt response by the Lagos State Ministry of Health to the centre.

“The ministry has sent in monitoring teams of doctors and environmental service officers to the prison and the General Hospital, Badagry with necessary drugs.

“They brought intravenous fluids and consumables together with environmental improvement and water treatment measures.

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‘This has led to a decline in new cases and marked improvements in the clinical state of those on admission,” he said

A NAN correspondent who monitored activities at the hospital observed that five inmates from the centre were receiving treatment in the emergency axis of the hospital.

Also at the centre in Awarjigoh quarters in Badagry, NAN reports that a medical doctor was sent from Ikoyi Correctional Centre to ascertain the incident.

The doctor, who refused to mention her name, said that none of the inmates tested had the disease.

She said that all measures had been put in place to curb the outbreak.

(NAN)