The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said that a total of 1,141 suspected and 65 confirmed cases of cholera with 30 deaths have been reported from 96 local government areas (LGAs) in 30 States of the Federation.
NCDC, in its public health advisory on Thursday, said Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa and Lagos States were the 10 states that contributed 90 per cent of the burden of cholera presently in the country.
Cholera is a food and water-borne disease, caused by the ingestion of the organism Vibrio Cholerae in contaminated water and food.
On food and water contamination, NCDC explained that, “Water is usually contaminated by the faeces of infected individuals, said NCDC, adding that contamination of drinking water can occur at the source, during transportation, or during storage at home.
“Food may be contaminated by soiled hands, either during preparation or while eating.
“Beverages prepared with contaminated water and sold by street vendors, ice, and even commercial bottled water have been implicated as vehicles of transmission, as have cooked vegetables and fruits freshened with untreated wastewater.”
The Centre has, therefore, alerted the public of the increasing trend of cholera cases across the country as the raining season intensifies.
However, NCDC said the multi-sectoral National Cholera Technical Working Group has been providing support to the affected States.