The Bauchi State Government has said that despite being on the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) watch list, the state has not recorded any cases of cholera in 2024.
The Commissioner of Health, Dr Adamu Umar Sambo, in a telephone conversation with DAILY POST said although the NCDC announced that Bauchi is among the states that recorded cholera this year, the state does not have any confirmed cases yet.
According to him, 30 suspected cases were recorded in Itas/Gadau LGA in January but all of them came out negative.
His words ” I can confidently tell you that we haven’t had any reported or confirmed cases of cholera in Bauchi State since the beginning of 2024.”
He added, “The few suspected cases we had turned out not to be cholera. Currently, we are focused on maintaining control measures and educating the public about personal hygiene, environmental sanitation, water hygiene, and other health issues.”
The Commissioner mentioned, “We are collaborating with BASEPA and other relevant agencies to improve drainage systems to ensure water flows freely without contaminating clean water sources.”
“So far, we have not had any confirmed cases in 2024. We are working with all relevant agencies to prevent an outbreak,” he concluded.
DAILY POST recalls that the NCDC had earlier warned the public of the increasing trend of cholera cases across the country as the rainy season intensifies.
The agency, in a statement signed by its Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, released June 14 said from January 1 to June 11, 2024, a total of 1,141 suspected and 65 confirmed cases of cholera with 30 deaths had been reported from 96 local government areas in 30 states.
The NCDC listed the 10 states that contributed 90 percent to the burden of cholera as Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa, and Lagos.