The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), has registered 4,153 Cholera infections between September 5 and October 2, 2022.
The NCDC said this via its official website on Wednesday, stating that 80 persons died from cholera across the country in September.
The agency also disclosed that since the beginning of 2022, 256 people from 31 states have died from cholera.
“Thirty-one states have reported suspected cholera cases in 2022. These are: Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.
“In the reporting month (September 5 to October 2, 2022), nine states reported 4,153 suspected cases – Borno (2,626), Yobe (718), Gombe (317), Zamfara (212), Bauchi (119), Jigawa (95), Sokoto (47), Katsina (16) and Adamawa (three).
It said “As of October 2, 2022, a total of 10,745 suspected cases, including 256 deaths (CFR 2.4 per cent), have been reported from 31 states.
“Of the suspected cases since the beginning of the year, the age group, five to 14 years, is the most affected for males and females.
“Of all suspected cases, 48 per cent are males and 52 per cent are females.
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“There was a 42 per cent increase in the number of new suspected cases in September – Epi Week 36 – 39 (4,153) – compared with August Epi Week 31 – 35 (2,428).
“In the reporting week, Borno (883), Gombe (97), Bauchi (15) Yobe (eight) and Sokoto (three) reported 1,006 suspected cases. Borno and Gombe states accounted for 97 per cent of 1,006 suspected cases reported in Week 39,” it explained.
The NCDC said that the National multi-sectoral Cholera’s Technical Working Group continues to monitor response across states’ Cumulative Epi-Summary.
It said that cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with Vibrio cholerae bacteria.
According to it, People can get sick when they swallow food or water contaminated with cholera bacteria.
The agency said that the infection is often mild or without symptoms, but can sometimes be severe and life-threatening.
“About one in 10 people with cholera will experience severe symptoms, which, in the early stages, include: profuse watery diarrhoea, sometimes described as ‘rice-water stools, vomiting, thirst, leg cramps and restlessness or irritability’,” it said.
The NCDC said that healthcare providers should look for signs of dehydration when examining a patient with profuse watery diarrhoea.
These include rapid heart rate, loss of skin elasticity, dry mucous membranes and low blood pressure.
It added that people with severe cholera can develop severe dehydration, which can lead to kidney failure.
“If left untreated severe dehydration can lead to shock, coma, and death within hours,” it said.
Public Health experts have said that there is no end in sight to Nigeria‘s battle with recurrent cholera outbreaks as the country‘s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) practices remain poor.
A recent report on the state of water in the country, sanitation and hygiene in Nigeria showed that 83 per cent of household members in the country lack access to basic hygiene services.
The report revealed the low status of the country‘s WASH sector, with 90per cent of the country‘s population lacking access to complete basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services. (NAN)
