The Kwara State Government has issued a high alert to healthcare surveillance teams across all 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state, urging them to take preventive measures against a potential cholera outbreak.
News About Nigeria reports that this move comes in response to reports of severe gastro-enteritis cases in various communities within Lagos State.
Recall that the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, in a statement on Thursday by the Director of Public Affairs in the state Ministry of Health, Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, said the state had recorded an additional six cholera deaths as against the previous 15.
She said cholera cases had risen to 401 in the state.
According to Gbenga Falade, the Chief Press Secretary in the Kwara Ministry of Health, the ministry has initiated an awareness campaign to educate the public on preventive measures against cholera.
The campaign includes radio jingles aimed at informing people on how to protect themselves from the disease.
Falade stated that the ministry is staying informed about the situation and is implementing proactive steps to prevent any cholera outbreak within Kwara State.
Also speaking on preventive measures, Prof. Tanimola Akande of the Department of Public Health, University of Ilorin, advised Nigerians on proper sanitation in the form of proper faecal waste disposal.
Akande, who is also a consultant public health physician with the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), explained that other preventive measures include food and water hygiene.
The expert stated that vaccination remained one of the most cost-effective measures in controlling the cholera epidemic across the states.
“Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective measures in the control of the cholera epidemic.
“Cholera vaccination alone is not used for control of the epidemic of cholera,” he said.
