The alarming number of persons who have ended up being killed by cholera across eight Nigerian states, has been revealed.
File photo: A hospital ward
The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control has revealed that no fewer than 184 persons died from an outbreak of cholera in eight states across the country this year.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the Surveillance Focal Person of NCDC, Ms. Nanpring Williams, said this at the Water Sanitation and Hygiene Sector Meeting, organised by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources in Abuja on Tuesday
She said that the affected states were Zamfara, Kwara, Borno, Lagos, Oyo, Kebbi, Kaduna and Kano.
Williams said that the National Cholera Situation Report indicated that there were 8,241 suspected cases of the disease in parts of the country.
She said that the centre was executing the pilot phase of administering Oral Cholera Vaccine in Muna Internally Displaced Persons Camp and the entire Mafa Local Government Area in Borno, reaching no fewer than 34,815 persons.
She said that the centre was also conducting active surveillance and laboratory diagnosis, effective coordination and case-by-case management of cholera.
Williams said there were cases of water contamination in Kebbi through open defecation, adding that deliberate efforts were needed from all stakeholders to promote access to water and sanitation.
She, however, bemoaned the lack of coordination between the state ministries of health and the rural water supply and sanitation agencies, saying that the deficiency had been a major challenge to efforts to strengthen WASH activities in the country.