The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has announced that 470 fresh suspected cases of cholera and nine deaths have been reported in the first four weeks of this year.
The centre also said children from the age of five and below were the most affected.
According to the NCDC, a total of 10 states have reported suspected cholera cases this year. The states are Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Cross River, Kwara, Lagos, Taraba and Zamfara.
The centre, in its latest cholera report stated, “As of January 30, 2022, a total of 470 suspected cases, including nine deaths have been reported from 10 states in 2022. Of the suspected cases since the beginning of the year, the age group five years and below is the most affected age group for male and female.
“Of all the suspected cases, 45 per cent are males and 55 per cent are females. Three states, namely; Taraba (201), Borno (88) and Adamawa (56), account for 73 per cent of all cumulative cases.
“Ten local government areas across the five states of Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, Bayelsa and Kwara reported more than 10 cases each this year.”
The centre stated, “Some of the challenges are difficulty in accessing some communities due to security concerns, open defecation in affected communities, and lack of potable drinking water in some rural areas and urban slums.
“The challenges also include inadequate health facility infrastructure and cholera commodities for management of patients, inadequate trained personnel in states for case management, and poor and inconsistent reporting from states.”
The NCDC added that it would continue training in cholera surveillance, hotspot mapping and developing state level preparedness and response plans, as well as maintaining communication with and support to states.
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