A total of 816 Nigerians die from the recent cholera outbreak that has now spread to 22 States, NCDC says.
Director-General of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, disclosed this today 12 August at a Covid-19 Ministerial briefing.
Over 31,000 people have so far been infected nationwide, Dr. Ihekweazu said.
State Health authorities in Enugu had confirmed that Cholera is in the Coal City, following reported death of seven persons.
COAL CITY RESIDENTS:
We reported that Cholera is in Enugu
Among the 22 affected states are Benue, Delta, Zamfara, Gombe, Bayelsa, Kogi, Sokoto, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, and Kebbi.
Others include Cross River, Niger, Nasarawa, Jigawa, Yobe, Kwara, Enugu, Adamawa, Katsina, Borno and the FCT.
However, NCDC lists the worst hit States as Benue, Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Bauchi and Plateau.
NCDC issues advisory as 816 die from cholera
NCDC recently issued an urgent call on state governments to step up their response to manage the outbreak.
Cholera is caused by poor access to clean water, open defecation, poor sanitation, and hygiene, the Agency said.
AS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED
Cholera outbreak in 7 states, NCDC warns
“The long-term solution for cholera control lies in access to safe drinking water, maintenance of proper sanitation and hygiene.
“We continue to advocate to State Governments to prioritise action for solutions that ensure access to and use of safe water, basic sanitation and good hygiene practices in communities.
“Additionally, we urge Nigerians to keep their environments clean, only drink or use water that is boiled and stored safely, ensure food is cooked and stored in a clean and safe environment, avoid open defecation and wash their hands regularly with soap and running water.”
“Cholera is preventable and treatable; however, it can be deadly when people who are infected do not access care immediately.
“Nigerians are advised to visit a health facility immediately, if they have sudden onset of profuse watery diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, and weakness.”
Govt imports N122b worth of Covid-19 vaccines
Govt announced today that it paid $298.5million (over N122billion) for 29 million single-dose Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.
The Johnson and Johnson brand is the first single-shot vaccine developed in the fight against the global pandemic.
The vaccine is reputed to be 85 percent effective in preventing severe disease.
It is also said to protect against COVID-19 related hospitalization and death, beginning 28 days after vaccination.
Nigeria is targeting 29 million people to be vaccinated, and will roll out 176,000 doses this Monday,16 August.
Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuiab, announced the shipment during the Ministerial briefing.
Also, food and drug regulator, NAFDAC, admitted responsibility for delays in rolling out Moderna vaccines donated by the US Government.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said officials tried to sort out bar-coding errors discovered during laboratory testing of the US donation.
She dismissed speculations that the delay had anything to do with vaccine quality.
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