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Two cases and 118 suspected cases of cholera have been confirmed in Katsina state, northwest Nigeria.
The state Primary Health Care Development Agency said the suspected cases were recorded in different local government areas of the state while the two confirmed cases were recorded in Kadusa Local Government Area.
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The state’s Director of Incidence and Epidemiology, Kabir Suleiman, revealed this during a press conference on Wednesday, announcing that the state has started preparing for the outbreak of the disease.
Implemented strategies
Suleiman revealed that the agency had applied a sensitive surveillance system to monitor and detect cholera cases in all 34 local government areas and had created oral dehydration points.
Oral dehydration points are used to provide oral treatment to patients with suspected cholera and to refer those with severe dehydration to cholera treatment centres.
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He said: “We have all the necessary devices from local government areas to the state level to respond to these outbreaks.
“Cholera is a very serious disease that manifests itself with acute diarrhea and is often accompanied by numerous complications. Cholera is basically caused by bacteria.
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He said Katsina is one of the most populous states in Nigeria, with more than nine million people spread across 34 local governments and 361 districts. “Between them, we have 21 local governments whose security is compromised.”
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“We have also started shipping products to all 34 LGAs of the state because Kastina is one of the states considered high risk of cholera according to the report of the global task force for cholera control,” he said.
Prevention
Suleiman said his rapid response system had brought under control the cholera outbreak in Kadusa Local Government Area earlier this year.
“According to our records, the week we had a big outbreak this year was week 12 around March, where we had a cholera outbreak in Kadusa LGA, and we were able to send our rapid response team to LGA with the support of the LGA . government and partners… We recorded around 68 cases there with one death,” he said.
He also said that the state is working round the clock to prevent the outbreak of any infectious disease.
“We have kept our system on alert, where we are in alert mode, the rapid response team has been trained, including surveillance and notification officers, where we emphasize the need for them to detect cases wherever they are,” he added.
“In terms of infection prevention and control, we want to make sure that if infection occurs, it doesn’t spread, especially in the healthcare setting.”
He said that regarding risk communications, the health department had developed jingles that would be broadcast on different stations to raise awareness among the state’s inhabitants.
The global resurgence of cholera
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday a resurgence of cholera cases in countries in Africa, East Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean region.
According to the organization, between January and May, around 195,000 cases of cholera have been reported in the five regions, with the Eastern Mediterranean Region recording the highest number of cases with more than 98,000 cases in seven countries.
Africa is the second country with the highest number of cases, with 92,789 cases in 14 countries, a figure very far from that registered in America, where some 3,700 cases were registered in one country, the third highest number in an affected region.
These data, the WHO said, combine suspected and confirmed cases of the disease.
In Nigeria, Newslodgehas consistently reported that the country has been experiencing a surge in the number of recorded cases.
According to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the country has recorded more than 65 confirmed cases and more than 30 deaths from January to June in about 100 local governments in 30 states.
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