The Katsina State Primary Healthcare Development Agency said two cholera cases have been confirmed in Kusada local government area of the state with 118 others under medical investigation.
According to the agency, its incident management system has been activated to prevent the spread of cholera and other vaccine-preventable outbreaks in the state.
The agency’s Incident Manager and Director of Epidemiology, Dr Kabir Suleiman, at a press conference at the agency’s Emergency Operations Centre stated that the state government has taken measures to manage the outbreak.
Part of the measures according to him include building 102 health facilities across LGAs, improving WASH facilities, and designating 34 comprehensive health centres with cholera treatment units.
Katsina State has been identified as a high-risk area for cholera by the Global Taskforce for Cholera Control, with 10 LGAs considered high-risk.
The state government has accordingly deployed commodities to all 34 LGAs and established Oral Rehydration Points to manage the situation.
Dr Suleiman emphasised that the state is fully prepared to coordinate any outbreak, with a sensitive surveillance system in place to detect cases of priority diseases like cholera.
He noted that the state has a normal routine surveillance system working round the clock to detect cases.
The agency also disclosed that it has trained over 3,000 Volunteer Community Mobilizers (VCMs) to sensitise women on personal hygiene and the importance of using sanitised water and eating well-cooked food, adding also that risk communication jingles are also being aired to educate the public.