The cholera outbreak has claimed 53 lives, the Director-General (DG), Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Jide Idris, has said.
Idris, at a news conference yesterday, said the deaths were from 1,528 suspected cases across 107 local government areas in 31 states.
The deaths are in nine states, out of 16 with the heaviest burden showing an uptick of 19 since the last update released by the NCDC on June 21, when 24 deaths were recorded in 15 states.
Lagos, with 29 deaths, leads the other 15 states that contribute 90 per cent of the burden.
The disease has not spread beyond 31 states since June 12.
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The breakdown showed the fatality figure as Lagos 29; Bayelsa 2; Abia 4; Zamfara 0; Bauchi 0; Cross River 1; Ebonyi 0; Rivers 8; Katsina 3; Delta 4; Imo 0; Nasarawa 1; Ondo 0; and Kano 1.
According to the DG, the fatality rate of 3.5 per cent has placed Nigeria at the high-risk level (level 3), which has led to the activation of the National Cholera Multi-Sectoral Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) as the situation demands immediate and coordinated actions from the agency.
He said: “The subject matter experts were drawn from relevant ministries (Health, Environment, Agriculture, Water Resources, etc.), departments, agencies, stakeholders, and major partners.’’
The Federal Government urged states and local governments to scale-up environmental health surveillance in places where food and drinks are sold nationwide.
Minister of State for Environment, Dr Iziaq Salako, gave the directive yesterday in Abuja.
The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, tasked principals of Federal Unity Colleges (FUCs) to put in place necessary measures to curtail the outbreak of cholera disease.“
In Lagos State, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said fatalities from cholera had risen to 29 deaths and 579 suspected cases.
Abayomi made this known yesterday during a briefing.
