Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
NCDC records 2,860 cholera cases,84 deaths in 8 Months. According to data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 84 individuals died as a result of cholera, and 2,860 more are suspected of being infected with the disease between January and August 27, 2023.
According to the situation report for weeks 31 to 34, which was released on Wednesday, 25 states across 124 Local Government Areas reported suspected cases, with a case-fatality ratio of 2.9%.
Cholera is a severe diarrhoeal sickness caused by the bacteria Vibrio cholerae. People can become ill if they consume cholera-contaminated food or water. The infection is frequently minor or without symptoms, although it can occasionally be severe and life-threatening.
In Nigeria, cholera is an endemic and seasonal disease that occurs primarily during the rainy season and more frequently in places with inadequate sanitation.
According to the cholera situation report, age groups younger than five years old have been the most impacted of the suspected cases since the beginning of the year, followed by age groups five to 14 years old in aggregate of both males and females.
It also revealed that 51% of the suspected cases are males and 49% are girls.
The states that have reported the cases so far in the country are Zamfara, Cross River, Katsina, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Niger, Abia, Jigawa, Kano, Ondo, Borno, Kaduna, Bauchi, Sokoto, Plateau, Gombe.
Other states include Oyo, Adamawa, Kebbi, Benue, Rivers, Ekiti, Imo, Osun, and Anambra.
“Zamfara (787 cases) accounts for 28 per cent of all suspected cases in the country of the 25 States that have reported cases of cholera. Obubra LGA (515 cases) in Cross River State accounts for 18% of all suspected cases reported in the country.
“Of the affected States, Cross River (718 cases), Katsina (302 cases), Bayelsa (265 cases), Ebonyi (227 cases), Niger (136 cases) and Abia (118 cases) account for 62 per cent of the suspected cases this year,” the report read in part.
In comparison, it stated that probable cholera cases in the current year have fallen by 63% compared to what was reported as of week 34 in 2022. Likewise, cumulative deaths recorded have decreased by 67 per cent in 2023.