The Bayelsa state government has faulted the report of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) stating that there is an outbreak of cholera in the state, News About Nigeria reports.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Toyin Azebi, stated this on Thursday while addressing journalists after a meeting of the Bayelsa Taskforce on Immunisation and Health Services in Yenagoa.
She noted that the inclusion of Bayelsa State on the list of states affected by the cholera epidemic outbreak, as recently published by the NCDC in its disease surveillance report, should be corrected, as there is no such report in the state’s data.
Azebi claimed that there has been no confirmed outbreak of cholera in the state in recent times, adding that the NCDC’s pronouncement of a cholera outbreak in the state is a total misrepresentation and should be disregarded.
According to her, the ministry has reached out to the NCDC on the issue, and they have reviewed the state data again and found out that their initial report was incorrect and have agreed to issue a rebuttal.
“The NCDC report is a gross misrepresentation of the Bayelsa data, and we have tackled them on it. They have reviewed our data with us and will soon do another pronouncement excluding us as a state with a cholera outbreak.
“Since January 2024, there have been 449 suspected cases of cholera reported across the eight LGAs. Importantly, only two new suspected cases were reported in the most recent week, indicating no new cases. We can even report these cases of watery diarrhoea because of our optimised surveillance system across the state.
“Extensive testing has been conducted to confirm cholera cases. Out of the 42 rapid diagnostic tests carried out, only 14 returned positive. Crucially, all 14 positives from the rapid diagnostic tests turned out negative when subjected to a culture test.
“Culture tests are the gold standard for cholera diagnosis, and no cases have been confirmed by this method. And this attests to no outbreak,” she stated.
She further noted that the cholera situation in Bayelsa State is under control with no confirmed positive case, adding that the state government is taking active and comprehensive steps to manage the situation effectively, ensuring public health and safety.
