The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Tuesday, July 15, 2024, that there have been 3,623 suspected cases and 103 deaths in 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Dr. Jide Idris, the Director General of NCDC, shared this information during a press briefing in Abuja.
The outbreak has now reached 187 Local Government Areas in Nigeria, with a total case fatality rate of 2.8% since the beginning of the year. Children aged five seem to be the most affected group, with males representing 52% of the cases. There was a 5.6% decrease in the number of cases reported this week (8th-14th July) compared to the previous week.
Idris stated, “As of July 15, 2024, we have recorded 3,623 suspected cases and, unfortunately, 103 deaths across 34 states plus the Federal Capital Territory and 187 Local Government Areas, with a cumulative case fatality rate of 2.8 per cent since the beginning of the year. The predominant age affected is 5 years old while males account for 52 per cent of cases and females account for the rest.
“Furthermore, there was a 5.6 per cent decline in the number of cases in this reporting week (8th -14th July) as compared to the preceding week. We also recorded a drop in the case fatality rate from 2.9 per cent to 2.8 per cent. Definitely, there is a decline in case fatality rate from week 24 when the spike started to the present week.
“Whereas ongoing current efforts at the national and some state levels might have been yielding some results and largely responsible for the decline being reported, however, given the trend from previous years, we know it is not uhuru yet.
“The trend analysis from previous outbreaks shows the peak of the outbreak usually coincides with the peak of the rainy season, which is still some weeks ahead. Also, some of the northern traditional hotspot states have been reporting fewer cases, which may be connected with the delayed onset of the rainy season in this part of the country.”
He explained that although almost all the states in Nigeria have reported cases of cholera, there appears to be an underreporting of the situation as required data from the states are not coming real-time as expected given the trend in previous years.
“This is largely due to inadequate resources to support surveillance and disease detection activities at the subnational level.
“Additionally this may likely be further complicated by the effect of political undertone for reporting cholera, which some see as a Stigma or disease proxy indicator for the inability of the affected communities/persons to have access to potable water and other basic amenities of life,” the NCDC boss explained.
The country is not only battling a cholera outbreak but also seeing a surge in other diseases like yellow fever, Lassa fever, and meningitis.
According to Idris, the Federal Government, through the NCDC, has been actively fighting the cholera outbreak, which has significantly affected the nation’s health and wellbeing.
“The NCDC is implementing the national incident action plan for the response, intensifying efforts targeted at supporting states to conduct active case search, optimise laboratory capacity, with prepositioning of cholera management supplies and capacity building in anticipation of possible surge ahead.
“We have our eyes on the ball, as we continue to strengthen case management efforts to sustain the decline in fatality ratio until we report the global target CFR of less than one per cent.
“Using the National Cholera Multi-Sectoral Emergency Operations Centre we continue to lead the coordination, communication, and cooperation of all stakeholders involved in the national response. In addition, we have deployed national rapid response teams to the top six states contributing about 83 per cent of cases.
“The states are Lagos, Bayelsa, Abia, Ebonyi, Katsina and Zamfara States and plans are in place to deploy to more states, to strengthen surveillance system, improve case management, infection prevention and control and community engagement towards building community resilience. We continue to monitor the trends and will escalate the required support as the situation demands,” he noted.
The NCDC chief recognized the contributions of various stakeholders in combatting the outbreak, including governments, healthcare workers, and individuals.
However, he stressed the need for individuals to take preventive measures to curb the spread of the disease, acknowledging that rainfall can exacerbate waterborne diseases by contaminating water sources and affecting access to clean water.
He noted that the agency is monitoring reports of yellow fever cases in Nigeria, stating, “As a result of the current rainy season, we are also observing an increase in suspected cases.
“Currently, there are three presumptive positive cases which are reported from Ekiti (two) and Bayelsa (one) and one death. One confirmed case is generally considered an outbreak.”
On COVID-19, he highlighted there has been a repord hike in cases in some countries and advised the public to continue to adhere to the basic public health safety measures.
“The NCDC, in collaboration with other health partners, continue to work tirelessly to monitor and control the spread of these diseases. We urge the public to adhere to this advisory and take proactive steps to protect themselves and their communities.
“More importantly, we call on all government agencies, subnational level actors, partners, civil society organizations, healthcare professionals, community leaders, and every citizen to redouble their efforts towards the prevention and containment of these diseases to avoid further loss of lives,” he pinpointed.
