The Federal Government has stepped up efforts to contain the cholera outbreak, which has claimed at least 40 lives across 30 states, including Lagos and Ogun.
To combat the spread of the disease, the Ministry of Environment, led by Dr. Iziaq Salako, is conducting tests on food and water sources and distributing chlorine to households in affected areas.
The ministry aims to identify and address sources of contamination, providing critical support to the hardest-hit states.
This includes providing chlorine solutions, tablets, and resources for food and water testing, as well as educational materials to promote community awareness.
The minister emphasized that these measures are crucial in halting the spread of cholera and ensuring public health safety nationwide.
The outbreak has affected 20 local government areas in Lagos, with 35 confirmed infections and 24 fatalities, while Ogun State has recorded one death and 14 cases.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported over 1,141 suspected and 65 confirmed cases, resulting in 30 deaths, across 30 states from January 1 to June 11, 2024.
The minister stressed that cholera poses a severe public health threat, particularly in areas with inadequate sanitation infrastructure, and extensive environmental sanitation campaigns have been launched to promote cleanliness and hygiene practices.
He further mentioned, “Cholera outbreak is a seasonal public health event in Nigeria, occurring annually mostly during the rainy season and often in areas with poor sanitation and hygiene practices.
Severe weather events, such as flooding, are exacerbating the spread of the disease in multiple ways, further fueling the outbreak.
“The World Health Organization has confirmed the global resurgence of cases of cholera classifying the current outbreak a “grade 3 public health emergency”, requiring maximal WHO system-wide response.
Nigeria is one of the 14 countries in Africa where the resurgence is being experienced.
“To prevent the spread of cholera, we urge all Nigerians to be more vigilant, imbibe good sanitation and hygiene practices at home and in their workplace and take preventive measures.
“Keeping their environment clean always and disposing of waste properly at designated places.
“Ensuring the use of clean and safe water. Water from suspicious sources should be well boiled or treated by adding one part of chlorine solution to 100 parts of water.
“Avoid locally prepared drinks like kunu, sobo, fura da nono, koko, fruit juice etc except it is certain that the preparation was done in an hygienic and safe manner.
“Wash hands regularly with soap under running water, especially at moments such as after using the toilet, after cleaning a child who has gone to the toilet, before preparing food, before and after eating, and after playing with animals.
“Avoid open defecation and instead use clean and safe toilets. Cook foodstuff well, keeping food covered and eating it hot. Eating in public places including at parties should be done with utmost care. And wash fruits and vegetables with clean and safe water before eating.”
The minister called on state and local governments to support Environmental Health Officers in intensifying sanitation efforts across communities.
“We urge all Commissioners of Environment and Local Government Chairmen to support Environmental Health Officers across the country to step up their sanitation and hygiene activities through enhanced community-led total sanitation in order to break further transmission and spread of the disease.
“We also urge the scale-up of awareness campaigns focusing especially on places where prepared food and drinks are sold like markets, garages, schools, restaurants, stadia, religious, and sporting events.
Local authorities are advised to boost health inspections and monitoring in food outlets, including ” Mama Put “, informal joints, restaurants, and street food stalls, to prevent the spread of diseases.
“We assure the general public that the Federal Ministry of Environment remains committed to ensuring a clean and healthy environment for all Nigerians. This is the only way we can prevent and curtail the incidence of Cholera outbreaks and other sanitation-related diseases.
“Cholera is preventable, and prevention remains better and cheaper than cure. We therefore urge all Nigerians to take these preventive measures seriously and more importantly, keep their environment clean,” he highlighted.
