By Asmau Ahmad
A total of 55 deaths have been recorded from cholera, while 2,052 people are suspected to have been infected with the disease from January to July 2, 2023, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
The report revealed that 24 states across 96 local government areas reported the suspected cases, with a case fatality ratio of 2.7 per cent.
Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal illness caused by Vibrio cholerae bacteria. People can get sick when they swallow food or water contaminated with cholera bacteria.
The infection is often mild or without symptoms, but can sometimes be severe and life-threatening.
In Nigeria, cholera is an endemic and seasonal disease, occurring annually mostly during the rainy season and more often in areas with poor sanitation.
The cholera situation report of the NCDC released on Sunday showed that, of the suspected cases since the beginning of the year, age groups lesser than five years are mostly affected, followed by the age groups greater than 45 years in aggregate of both males and females.
It also showed that of all suspected cases, 51 per cent are males and 49 per cent are females.
The states that have reported suspected cases so far in the country are Cross River, Katsina, Ebonyi, Zamfara, Bayelsa, Abia, Niger, Ondo, Jigawa, Sokoto, Plateau, Bauchi, Kaduna, Borno, Oyo.
Others are Gombe, Kano, Adamawa, Kebbi, Benue, Imo, Ekiti, Osun, and Anambra.
“Cross River (718 cases) accounts for 25 per cent of all suspected cases in the country of the 24 states that have reported cases of cholera. Obubra LGA (515 cases) in Cross River State accounts for 25 per cent of all suspected cases reported in the country.
“Other States; Katsina (288 cases), Ebonyi (227 cases), Zamfara (216 cases), Bayelsa (205cases), Abia (118 cases) and Niger (114 cases) account for 57 per cent of the suspected cases this year.”
